Bloodborne has many fantastic bosses throughout the entire experience, but some stand out more than others.
With Elden Ring having been out for nearly two months, much of the soulsborne discussion surrounds the many bosses found throughout that game. Malenia, Starscourge Radahn, Astel Naturalborn of the Void, and more are names that are being thrown around.
However, while people discuss the best and most difficult bosses in Elden Ring, I have instead been feeling rather nostalgic about many of FromSoftwares titles.
Bloodborne may well be one of the greatest games ever made, and even with my review of Elden Ring scoring 5/5, it is still difficult to say whether this game beats out Bloodborne or not. Bloodborne has some of the best boss fights in any FromSoftware game. The Old Hunters DLC also adds even more fantastic bosses, some of which will be included in this list. These are the 10 Greatest Bosses in Bloodborne:
10. Cleric Beast
The first boss that most Bloodborne players face.
While the Cleric Beast is not the most difficult boss in the game by a wide margin, it is still a fantastic boss. From the boss’s sound design to the background music and, beyond that, how awesome the boss looks, the Cleric Beast really portrays the bestial nature found within Bloodborne and is a fantastic introduction to the game’s fantastic and bloody Victorian-esque world.
9. Moon Presence
From the first boss to the last, the Moon’s presence is the true final boss of Bloodborne. The Great Old One, the architect of the nightmare, is a fantastic boss fight.
The reveal stands as a remarkable moment in gaming, and the boss’s opening cutscene may be one of the best in any Souls game, period. It is a stunningly beautiful boss fight that truly culminates the entire final moments of Bloodborne, wonderfully combining all those Lovecraftian elements into one horrifying image.
It is a brilliant boss fight.
8. Father Gascoigne
Father Gascoigne is the boss who created Bloodborne. The first true boss, Gascoigne, forced all of the calm and methodical Souls players to play Bloodborne a little differently.
He starts as a simple boss wielding the Hunters axe. He has wide arcs and swings and trash-talks you throughout. However, there is a major shift halfway through the fight when Gascoigne literally bursts and transforms into a humongous hulking beast. It’s a tremendous moment that normally terrifies first-time players.
Suddenly, he becomes a relentless, mayhem-inducing monster of pure destruction. He does so much damage and almost never gives you a chance to breathe. If players have explored, however, players can utilize the music box to stun Gascoigne, giving them an opportunity to strike.
7. Mergo’s Wet Nurse
Mergo’s Wet Nurse is a really creepy fight.
While the game itself is already riddled with various creepy enemies, particularly in this section of the game, something has to be said for Mergo’s Wet Nurse. She is a fast-moving, teleporting creature that bathes the boss arena in darkness as she strikes.
The boss fight can be quite complicated and is incredibly tense as soon as the shadows come down. Run. There is no other solution, sprinting around the boss arena like a madman while being hounded by a multi arm blade wielding nanny is quite terrifying. Depending on your circumstances, Mergo could be the final boss of the game, and they’re not a bad one to end on.
6. Martyr Logarius
Logarius is a great boss fight found far into the north of Cainhurst. Hugh, atop the castle, you will face off against the blade-firing, floating, undead monstrosity known as Martyr Logarius. He is an intense and difficult battle, one of the more challenging fights in the base game.
He also has arguably one of the best boss arenas in the game. The snow-covered rooftop of a castle makes for a fitting spot for a boss fight, and it simply adds to the already incredible aesthetics. In addition to this, defeating Martyr Logarius allows you access to Cainhurst proper, allowing you to gain the Cainhurst knight armor, one of the best armor sets in the game.
5. Lady Maria of The Astral Clocktower
Ah, Lady Maria…
If she isn’t an iconic boss, then I don’t know who she is. She attacks with vicious speed and fully encapsulates the terror and bloody malevolence of Bloodborne.
She has the best boss arena in the entire game, bar none. The view of the Astral clocktower is awe-inspiring, and beyond this, Lady Maria also has some of the best-looking attacks across the entire game. While they’re horrifying when they are coming at you, you cannot deny how awesome they are.
4. Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos
This boss is Lovecraft in a nutshell.
After you have been wandering around Upper Cathedral Ward, beset by continuously creepier and creepier things with more and more eyes. You start to question what is happening. The entire area is stupidly creepy, and then suddenly, you descend into a long elevator.
In the distance of a boss room, you see an odd writhing mass. Being the great Souslborne player you are… you hit it. Then it turns around.
Ebrietas is a true eldritch horror found within the game. While there are other bosses like the Amygdala and such, none quite capture the Lovecraft feeling more than Ebrietas. She has a tonne of hard-hitting attacks and has one of the coolest boss designs FromSoftware has ever created. She is a fantastic boss battle.
3. Gehrman, The First Hunter
My favorite boss in the base game. Gehrman, The First Hunter, undoubtedly is an incredible boss. The man you have spoken to throughout the entire game. One of the three potential final bosses, Gehrman, is fantastic.
He has the best soundtrack to accompany the battle and also has a bunch of ridiculously powerful and fast attacks. This, on top of all the work it took to get to that point, makes him truly feel like a culmination—like everything in the game was building towards the confrontation. While the Moon Presence may be the true final boss, Gehrman is the better and more emotionally resonant boss.
A boss that is filled with tragedy and, ironically, wants to kill you as a way to spare you from the hunter’s dream.
2. Orphan of Kos
Ugh.
The Orphan of Kos…
This boss is evil.
The hardest boss in the entirety of Bloodborne, this absolute monster attacks with such ferocious speed and dexterity that it’s hard to keep track. The fight is creepy, tragic, and intense. It is one of the greatest boss fights that FromSoftware has ever made.
The Orphan of Kos has become infamously iconic in the world of the Souls games and with good reason.
1. Ludwig The Accursed/ Ludwig The Holy Blade
We come to the final boss on this list—the greatest boss in Bloodborne. While many may have anticipated the Orphan of Kos to take the top spot, I instead had to give it to Ludwig.
The first main boss of The Old Hunter’s DLC. Ludwig has two phases that are both absolutely terrifying. The Accursed and The Holy Blade. These two phases almost feel like two completely different boss fights with entirely different movie sets, aesthetics, and more.
In addition to this, Ludwig is the epitome of Bloodborne bosses. A hideous bestial creature with subtle undertones of ‘something more.’
Ludwig is, without a doubt, the greatest boss fight in Bloodborne and one of the greatest bosses FromSoftware has ever made.
How did you find this list? Were there some bosses you feel were omitted and should have been included? Or maybe you think a boss on this list deserves to be higher or lower? Comment below what you think.
Check out the Bloodborne PlayStation 4 Review and 15 Essential Tips for Bloodborne Beginners.
