5 Best Multi-Boss Fights In The Dark Souls Games, Ranked

The Dark Souls franchise is well known for its high difficulty level that requires both patience and resilience from players. Over the years, fans have developed a strong love-hate relationship with many bosses from this universe, as most of them are extremely punishing, but also fair.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said when two or more bosses gang up on players and put them at a significant disadvantage. In such cases, catlike reflexes, sturdy armor, proper Estus Flask management, strong weapons, and swift reaction times are necessary to survive. Here are the best multi-boss fights in the Dark Souls games.

5 Lud And Zallen, The King’s Pets (Dark Souls 2)

They Have A Very Simple Moveset, But They’re Also Very Aggressive

• Telegraphed attacks that are easy to read after a while
• Fun fight that’s punishing, yet fair

Compared to other multi-boss fights in the Dark Souls franchise, Lud and Zallen‘s is far from being the best. However, the feline creatures do pose a challenge and are fun to fight overall. In fact, it would be safe to say that Lud and Zallen are one of the great elements of Dark Souls 2, despite the bad reputation that the game has among critics and veteran fans.

They don’t have a sophisticated moveset and their attacks are frequently clearly telegraphed, making them easy to dodge once players learn their patterns. Moreover, Zallen doesn’t jump into the arena until Lud has lost a considerable amount of Health, making the fight somewhat simpler than others where players must fight two or more enemies with full Health bars simultaneously. All in all, while Lud and Zallen’s is not the most fun or challenging multi-boss fight in the series, they are a blast to defeat and are arguably one of the high points of Dark Souls 2.

4 Demon In Pain And Demon From Below (Dark Souls 3)

A Relentless Duo, Lock On Is Not Recommended

• Both demons have absurdly long range and can hit players from a considerable distance
• It’s recommended to pan the camera manually in this boss fight rather than using the lock-on feature

Once players complete the Dark Souls 3 base game, they might think that they have the necessary tools to take on any other challenge the DLCs might throw at them. However, most are quickly humbled when they enter the Ringed City DLC and get a taste of the merciless attacks of the various enemies in the area, and the deadly power behind them.

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After falling from a cliff, players will take a long plunge into a circular arena deep inside the Ringed City’s bowels—there, they will find the Demon in Pain, and the Demon from Below. While the Demon in Pain and Demon from Below are not the most difficult bosses in the Ringed City, their attacks are quite challenging to dodge, especially if players are using the lock-on feature. Both demons have absurdly long range and are very aggressive with their attacks, so players will have a very hard time finding good windows of opportunity. Although this multi-boss fight does require a ton of skill, patience will be the most important aspect to surviving this encounter. As long as players don’t get greedy, they’ll be able to defeat both demons and face off against this fight’s final challenge: the Demon Prince.

3 Lothric And Lorian (Dark Souls 3)

The Twin Princes Are An Outstanding Way To Close Dark Souls 3

• Lothric revives Lorian when players think they’ve won.
• Players must take out Lothric, as killing Lorian repeatedly will not end this encounter

Few games have final bosses as worthy of the title as Dark Souls 3‘s Lothric and Lorian, the Twin Princes. While players will have already visited Lothric Castle early in the game, they won’t be able to gain access to these two bosses until they defeat the Dancer of the Boreal Valley and clear out the rest of the Castle. At first, Lothric and Lorian don’t seem to be too much of a threat, as the former sits back and watches while the latter attacks players in an aggressive, yet telegraphed way that can easily be read with enough practice.

The real challenge begins when players finally deplete Lorian’s health bar, thinking they finally beat him. Lothric will slowly approach his brother’s corpse and reanimate him, climbing on his back for mobility. At that point, players will not only have to deal with Lorian’s melee attacks, but also with Lothric’s ranged magic spells that can do a lot of damage in the blink of an eye. The epicness of this encounter, along with the combination of melee and ranged attacks make this multi-boss fight one of the best in the series.

Players should take into account that focusing on killing Lorian will never end the boss fight, as Lothric will keep reviving him over and over. Players should either focus on Lothric to melt his Health bar or kill Lorian and attack Lothric aggressively as he heals his brother.

2 Ornstein & Smough (Dark Souls)

The Ultimate Skill Check In The Original Dark Souls

• Players should disable the lock-on feature to keep an eye on both bosses
• Killing Ornstein first is easier, but players will lose access to his armor

While the original Dark Souls is full of challenging areas and tough bosses, few are as testing as Ornstein & Smough. This duo can be found in Anor Londo and is, to this day, one of the greatest skill checks in gaming history. Ornstein and Smough are unfortunately not optional, so players must deal with them to progress through the story and eventually complete the game. During this exciting and punishing boss fight, players will have to keep an eye on both enemies, as one false step or distraction can be the end.

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In most cases, dealing with one enemy should make the fight easier; however, this is not the case with Ornstein & Smough. In fact, when players defeat one of them, the other will gain an intimidating amount of power and size, raising the stakes considerably. Players who want the easier alternative should kill Ornstein first to face giant Smough. He’s still very challenging, but his moveset is much more lenient than that of giant Ornstein.

That said, players should know that they will get the armor of the enemy they faced last, so if they want Ornstein’s armor, they’ll have to kill Smough first and take on the harder alternative.

1 Sister Friede And Father Ariandel (Dark Souls 3)

A Challenging, Yet Welcome Change Of Pace During A Long Fight

• Father Ariandel is very large, which gives him a considerable attack range
• The multi-boss fight culminates with a third phase with an absurdly aggressive version of Sister Friede

Last, but certainly not least, there’s Sister Friede and Father Ariandel. Found in the late stages of Dark Souls 3’s Ashes of Ariandel DLC, this duo pose a significant challenge. Before facing them, players will have to defeat Sister Friede and deplete her Health bar. Once they do, Father Ariandel will join the fight, using his golden bowl to spew fire and engulf the arena in flames. Dealing with both enemies is challenging, as Father Ariandel is quite large, and Sister Friede is very fast, making for a deadly combination.

Players will have to focus on dodging Father Ariandel’s smashing attacks and Friede’s ice spells, which can quickly cause Frostbite. One of the elements that make this multi-boss fight great is that it tricks players into thinking they’ve won after defeating the duo, only to surprise them with a third phase where Blackflame Friede steps in. Blackflame Friede is much more aggressive than she was in her first phase and can one-shot players in the blink of an eye.