Bloodborne is home to some of the most beautiful, Lovecraftian aesthetics, as well as a world of pain and suffering through a variety of boss fights and difficult areas to navigate. It’s a brilliant but brutal time, and a lot of that is down to the bosses that call Yharnam home.
Some of these bosses are painfully difficult, and I’m pretty sure my hair has gotten grayer from trying to fight them.
But the question remains. Who is the biggest and baddest boss of them all within this standout FromSoft outing? We braved the night of the hunt to find out.
10
Amygdala
You’re annoying me
Amygdala is a great boss in concept, and it’s so cool to finally be able to see all of the haunting creatures clinging to buildings once you get enough Insight. However, as a boss, the Amygdala is actually quite annoying to deal with.
To be able to beat this boss, you need to be able to access its weak points. While the head is the easiest part to hit, there is also the issue of the fact that the Amygdala floats in mid-air, making it difficult to hit it, especially if you are using a shorter weapon.
Did I mention that the actual boss is the camera?
9
The One Reborn
You’re gross, actually
The One Reborn is another boss that is difficult purely based on the annoying mechanics that come with it. The main boss isn’t the thing that’s hard to deal with. Instead, it’s the mobs that spawn around the outside of the map that you have to kill.
While I’m sure some just focus on annihilating the boss, if you don’t deal with the Chime Maidens, they will spam attack you with purple fireballs, and are capable of healing the boss. You may as well just deal with them.
They are spread out around the arena, which adds to the difficulty of this boss fight.
8
Rom, the Vacuous Spider
Too many eyes, too many legs
I love the concept of Rom, the Vacuous Spider. I like how you access the arena and get into this fight. However, the boss is also gross at the same time. Not only do you have dozens of eyes on you and legs skittering after you, but there are also mini spiders constantly jumping at you and attacking you.
While it seems like common sense to attack its head, this is far from the truth. To be able to get any proper damage in, you need to attack its body and also try not to be pummeled to the ground by Rom and the spiderlings.
Good luck.
7
Mergo’s Wet Nurse
Why is there a baby crying?
This boss is disorienting and haunting, especially when you first encounter it. Not only does it have a plethora of arms in which it can swing blades at you, but there’s also an incredibly creepy lullaby playing in the background, horrifyingly accompanied by a baby crying.
Yes, it’s in the name. Wet Nurse. Still, nothing can prepare you for walking into that arena for the first time and having to fight off against some dark and dangerous being that is just trying to protect an invisible baby.
Reminds me of Oceiros, The Consumed King in some ways…
6
Shadow of Yharnam
Stop with the fire already!
This fight is honestly more annoying than it is difficult. If you’ve played any of the other Souls games where you are required to deal with more than one boss at a time, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
What makes this fight even more challenging isn’t the fact that there are three of them, but the fact that all three have different attack patterns, with two of them being melee and the third being ranged.
I really love this fight for its complexity, and the way that, depending on the order you fight this trio, you can even make the fight harder for yourself through your choices.
5
Darkbeast Paarl
The sparks are flying
Darkbeast Paarl can really throw you the first time you come across him. It is important to note that this boss is completely optional, so you don’t need to kill him if you don’t want to. But for those who want the full experience or are completionists, you’re in for a shocking encounter.
Making sure you have Bolt resistance is essential for this fight, especially if you find yourself taking a lot of damage. This helps boost your resistances slightly; you’ll find that when his sparks fly, you do too, just into an early grave.
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Killing Darkbeast Paarl is difficult, but incredibly rewarding in many ways. Not only do you get a decent amount of Blood Echoes, but you can unlock a shortcut back to Old Yharnam.
4
Martyr Logarius
Die already, old man
There are many elements that make the Martyr Logarius fight incredibly difficult. Not only does the runback to the boss fight take you across rooftops that you can very easily slip and die on, but dropping down to the boss fight also forces you take a bit of damage whether you like it or not. Taking notes for Nito, I can only assume.
His fights are incredibly punishing. Not only is he attacking you with a scythe, but you also have to deal with his fast-paced spell casting.
But, at the risk of repeating myself, I need to hammer home that the arena is the true boss here. One false move, one aggressive knockback, and it’s curtains as you fall to your demise.
3
Laurence, the First Vicar
Crawling to me
Fighting Laurence, the First Vicar, feels very much like a full-circle moment. You spend a lot of the game being drip-fed information about who he is and what he was responsible for, and getting to fight him is quite cathartic.
The boss looks like it shouldn’t be difficult, considering that he attacks very similarly to the Cleric Beast in the first phase. However, it’s not the first phase that is the problem in this fight.
Phase three is the hardest part of the fight, as his legs are broken and he leaves a pool of lava behind him. Because of this, it can be very hard to get close to him to attack him, especially if you are using a shorter-range weapon.
2
Ludwig, The Holy Blade
Why the long face?
Let it be known that Ludwig is my favorite boss of all time. It is so complex and so beautifully chilling, and just really leans into the gothic scenes and body horror. I love the lore behind Ludwig as well; it’s just all around a great experience.
That being said, this fight will kick you while you’re down repeatedly and will test your patience. Phase one is its own beast (pardon the pun), but phase two is an immense challenge.
His attacks are brutal, and he can easily one-shot or two-shot you, even if you have a lot of points funneled into health. It’s gruesome, but it’s so rewarding when you finally beat him.
1
Orphan of Kos
Hush now, child
If you’re surprised that Orphan of Kos is in first place, you shouldn’t be. Bloodborne is home to many a brutal fight, but Orphan of Kos brings a whole new challenge to the game.
Forget the fact that his attacks are so fast and brutal that they could give you whiplash, but having to listen to his incessant screaming can be incredibly jarring and overstimulating.
That being said, I have a lot of love for this fight, and I love his second phase once he gets his wings. It just adds that element of ethereal beauty while you are getting whooped. What more could you want?
If there’s any fight that will take you over a hundred attempts, it’s going to be this one.
