Dylan Chaundy
We also ranked the hardest Dark Souls bosses over here. As well as specifically Dark Souls III’s hardest bosses over here.
Here Are the Hardest Bloodborne Bosses
23. Witch of Hemwick
Upon entering the arena, the first thing you’ll notice is that there are two lanky fur-monsters patrolling the sidelines. While this is definitely unnerving at first, once the boss’ true form is revealed, it’s a total cake-walk. The Witch is little more than a huddled figure which hides in the corners of the map, making it incredibly easy to find and kill her. As Souls bosses go, she’s a total pushover, primarily used to teach the player that all may not be what it seems when initially entering future boss fights. So let’s look at the Hardest Bloodborne Bosses.
22. Micolash
Micolash is different to every other Bloodborne boss in that he starts the fight by actively running away from you. The majority of this fight involves chasing him down in a maze of sorts until you can corner him and deal damage. His cage-headed appearance is pretty spooky but both his attacks and general presence are pretty underwhelming. There’s some good lore to be had here but in terms of a formidable Bloodborne boss, this one is kind of a pushover.
21. Abhorrent Beast
While many Hunters will likely meet this foe in the Chalice Dungeons, you can actually come across this pesky adversary in the main game as a secret boss in the Cathedral Ward. All you need to do is find the Suspicious Beggar and then chat to him and you’ll receive some Beast Blood Pellets — how kind of him, huh? Hold on to your horses, though, as this guy is secretly a massive abomination hidden behind the guise of an innocent beggar who stealthily murders any NPCs in the area. Wail on him to put a stop to his dastardly plans!
20. Celestial Emissary
This jelly-headed boss is located in the orphanage and starts the fight by hiding among a group of smaller enemies. As Bloodborne bosses go they’re almost kind of cute, until you single out the boss that is and it grows into something more grotesque entirely. It can be easy to be overwhelmed by the group, making this fight a little tricky but keep your distance and you’ll be fine.
19. Living Failures
Looking upon these tragic creatures, it’s easy to almost feel sorry for them, almost. This boss features a gang of blue monsters which, despite their appearance, can actually deal a tonne of damage. Their arm-swiping attacks are to be avoided at all cost and the key to success is to use the environment to your advantage. They’ll throw magic and summon meteors from the sky, but hide behind the hill in the middle of the arena and you’ll be fine, just don’t let them crowd you too much.
18. Cleric Beast
Everyone remembers their first, and this one’s a real doozy. Ambushing the player while they are walking across a bridge mere hours into their playthrough, the Cleric Beast is a huge nightmarish creature which shambles forward with huge sweeping attacks. This boss does at least set the mood as to just what the player has gotten themselves into. With Molotovs, the fight can be made easier but man is this dude terrifying. While not the hardest boss by any means, this boss deserves this spot because of the fear it strikes into the hearts of new players.
17. Father Gascoigne
Father Gascoigne is pretty damn scary the first time you come across him. Up until this point, you’ve mostly faced slower, monstrous beings, but here is a Hunter who not only matches your speed, but also your tactics. Oh, and then there’s the fact that the guy is a freaking werewolf, transforming into a crazy-fast monster halfway through the fight.
16. The One Reborn
When you boil it down, this fight is relatively chill. What is not even remotely chill is the way this thing looks. What can only be described as a lucky dip of entrails, The One Reborn is genuinely disgusting. One of the tried and tested methods to deal with larger bosses like this is to attack the butt, but honestly, I wouldn’t even know where to start with this monstrosity.
15. Mergo’s Wet Nurse
If there’s anything guaranteed to make me say nope immediately, it’s creepy crying ghost babies. I’m not particularly fond of demonic wet nurses either, making this a veritable hodge-podge of personal insecurities. She is a hulking, feathered phantom with six arms and plenty of blades. What makes this boss so horrifying is the speed and aggression with which it swings the aforementioned blades. At least the baby’s stopped crying, little victories.
14. Moon Presence
Bloodborne’s secret final boss enters the arena as a black Lovecraftian silhouette against a blood moon. As entrances go, it’s up there. Theatrics aside, Moon Presence is pretty easy to beat, not that you’d guess from its less than friendly appearance.
13. Amygdala
There’s something that’s just so deeply unpleasant about Amygdala. Maybe it’s the spidery limbs, weird tail, and honeycomb nightmare face. Or maybe it’s the weird distribution of hair on its body. I’m not shaming here but it’s a little odd to me that Amygdala has so much hair on its knees, and almost nowhere else. These are the kind of things that stay with you, the things you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about.
12. Blood-Starved Beast
This fleshy fellow is commonly cited as the boss which made many people quit Bloodborne forever. It’s not that the game had been smooth sailing up until this boss, but Blood-Starved Beast is definitely a step up. It also has the annoying ability to hit you through walls which is, well, unfair. Its speed and poison effects also put a downer on things, making it one of the hardest boss fights in the game.
11. Rom, the Vacuous Spider
Ever lifted up a log and found thousands of disgusting, shivering insects scurrying away back towards the darkness? This is the art direction for Rom, who is definitely Bloodborne’s most disgusting boss. As if the slightly furry, insect/potato hybrid that is Rom wasn’t enough, there’s also 30 or so spiders to contend with. Arachnophobia are gonna have a really hard time with this one, as well as anyone with eyes really. Bloodborne is filled with ugly creature designs but this one takes the prize of being the ugliest.
10. Shadow of Yharnam
Alright From Software, we’ve put up with your antics thus far but this, this just seems unfair. The Shadow of Yharnam boss pits players against not one, not two, but THREE murderous wraiths. One is hell-bent on setting you on fire, another has a freakin’ katana and the other has a fire-spitting candle and a sword. Not only is taking three enemies down hard enough, each one gets progressively stronger after the others die. Nonsense.
9. Vicar Amelia
Without a doubt the boss that takes the most lives of players on their first run, Vicar is not to be taken lightly. A terrifying transformation sequence leads into a white-knuckle battle which demands the player use everything they’ve learned so far. The sound design alone of this boss is positively hair-raising as Amelia shrieks in agony with each hit.
8. Darkbeast Paarl
You know what’s worse than a demonic wolf monster? A demonic wolf monster that shoots lightning. Darkbeast Paarl is the cause of many a smashed controller due to its incredible speed and propensity to shooting Hunters in the face with lightning. Much of your success with this boss depends on your ability to stagger its limbs, failing that it becomes a matter of dodging at every available moment.
7. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower
Lady Maria seems simple at first, but the way she progressively powers up her attacks can easily catch you off-guard. Her first phase is pretty straightforward, by dodging her attacks and then moving in to punish you’ll cruise through. The fight starts to get intense when she adds blood damage to her attacks and then fire damage on top of that, meaning she can, in effect, one-shot you.
6. Martyr Logarius
Anyone who shoots flaming blood skulls is not to be trifled with. Martyr Logarious is an optional boss who wields a glowing scythe and is devilishly tricky to defeat. This is due to the fact that he utilizes both very slow attacks and very fast ones, switching it up without warning. Even high-level Hunters will struggle here so level-grinding and maybe a friend are recommended.
5. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos
Looking like a cross between a pulverized squid and the very embodiment of Hell itself, Ebrietas is one of the toughest bosses. Presumably because players are so paralyzed by fear on stumbling across it and because the camera has a tendency to spin out, maybe it’s scared too. Ebrietas hits hard, blocks you with her tentacles and is a general pain in the butt. She also follows some of the easiest bosses in the game too, meaning it’s likely you’ll face her with a false sense of superiority only to be ripped limb from limb and tossed aside like garbage.
4. Gehrman, the First Hunter
The final boss in the game, Gehrman is a real nightmare to deal with. He’s a Hunter just like you, and wields a giant scythe that does insane damage. Some of his attacks are uninterruptable, he’s incredibly fast and crazy scary. Firearm attacks are your best bet here but his sheer speed is sure to send many players insane. As a final boss, he’s appropriately difficult and cunning, serving as a fantastic end to a fantastic game.
3. Laurence, the First Vicar
On the face of it, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Laurence is somewhat of a pushover, given his resemblance to the Cleric Beast. My dear Hunter, you couldn’t be more wrong as this version adds fire AOE damage to almost all of his attacks. He’s also scaled for end game content, meaning he packs one hell of a punch. You can follow the same strategy of attacking his thighs as you used against the beast, that is until he hits half health and loses the lower half of his body…
2. Ludwig, the Accursed & Holy Blade
The Old Hunters DLC brought with it some of the hardest Bloodborne bosses and Ludwig is no exception. From the very start of the fight, he channels all of his aggression directly at the player, and never fully lets up. He also possesses a jumping attack which can take almost all of your health in one fell swoop, making him both dangerous and unpredictable. Halfway through, he switches forms to wield a huge blade. This nightmare-horse is definitely one of the most aggressive bosses, beaten by only one other.
1. Orphan of Kos
So here it is, the hardest boss in Bloodborne. Not surprisingly, it’s another one from the Old Hunters DLC, OoK. It’s hard to pin down exactly what makes this boss so damned difficult but a lot of it has to do with the sheer aggression on show here. His first phase is bad enough due to how hard it is to read his attacks. but his second one is just a joke. In this form, he summons lightning, jumps around like a madman, and spews poison spit all over the place. There’s a lot of space to work with but given his sheer speed, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. If they were aiming to make the hardest Bloodborne boss yet then, From Software, we salute you. That does it for the hardest Bloodborne bosses, all of them ranked from hardest to slightly less hard!
