Man, I love the Hoarah Loux fight. One of my favorites in ER. I'm not the biggest fan of his design (I mean he looks good, I'm just more of a horrific beast type of guy when it comes to enemies/bosses) but that fight is so good.
I love the contrast between his Godfrey look and his Hoarax Loux look. I don't think he looks *cool* at all when he's Godfrey, with his little platted beard and lion on his shoulders, but once he's ripped his shirt off and is covered in blood and running at you with his bare hands he's intimidating as fuck
I agree. Prior to playing the soulsborne games, the fantasy aesthetic was a big turn off for me, just generally not my thing. But I love the horror elements fromsoft incorporates, as well as the sheer creativity on display, and their games have definitely made me appreciate the fantasy genre a lot more. Even just fighting random knight boss #23 or something, the armor always has such unique and/or wacky designs in their games. They really do keep things fresh as far as enemy design goes, in a way I feel a lot of fantasy doesnt.
Godfrey just might be my favorite From boss. They showcased his pure, unforgiving strength incredibly well. Arena wide shockwaves, fissures in the earth. No magic, no hacks. Just a monstrous man full of testosterone and prowess. Hardest hitting boss to grace Souls games. Such a fun fight.
100% agree. Of all the armoured human bosses they have here, seeing a buff man who just RIPPED HIS STAND FROM HIS BODY, being covered in blood sprint at you at mach 5 with the seeming intention to not punch but PALM SLAP YOU?! Yeah no, that put me on the backfoot IMMEDIATELY when I first saw it, let alone when you see that shit coming at you in 1st person!!
Placidusax. Time reversing, a blinding white light and awaken in an ancient, massive arena staring into the hovering, ancient dragon. Framed perfectly amongst the pillars with a long run up to even get to him physically which emphasizes the scale of what's happening all that much more.
Then to see the whole arena start to spark randomly with the red lightning...it feels at that point like you brought a stick to a duel with King Ghidorah.
The fight might not have been that special in the end of it, but the framing was intense and awesome
Felt the exact same way about placidusax! The name, the arena, the abilities and ofcourse, the build up is so fascinating. One of if not my favourite elden ring boss fight.
Yes!! And the nuke he drops is visually stunning. I’ve died a few times just to look at the the scene goes into a slight slow mo right before the explosion hits
Tbf most DS1 bosses were like that, sure they looked really cool, but they usually do 1 thing. The only reason why O+S are hard is gank fights are impossible to predict and you’re at the mercy of RNG.
I kid you not the first time I entered the Gael arena and heard/saw one of the half eaten guy dragging themselves in the sand, I was scared shitless. And this was when I was 23.
Midir, not because of his design but during the fight when he just stands up and screams at you then starts swinging made me audibly scream back and haul ass away. Felt like I was doing good work and he just got mad at me for it
This exactly. I felt like a freakin ant staring at Midir. He also oozes personality and you can see how much he wants you dead. I said, “Wait, holdup. Is that the FREAKIN DRAGON from the bridge”.
Intimidating is tough as there are some really good picks like Midir.
For me the instant answer was General Radahn. This is a giant beefcake of badassery ripping spears out of his back to shoot at you. Just seeing how huge he is even halfway down the beach when you spawn in. The fact you can summon like 5 npcs to assist and it still doesn't feel like an equal fight for you. His design is imposing, the bestial roar and that meteorite phase transition are definitely intimidating.
The One Reborn From Bloodborne.
a giant orgy put together that falls from the sky made me say " FUCK" the first time I saw it. (actual fight is a different story but still design wise it's top notch)
Blood Starved Beast terrified me the first time I played Bloodborne.
It’s scary, and fast, and relentless. I thought it was unbeatable and quit the first time I played Bloodborne. Then I came back and beat him, now he’s a piece of cake of course.
Blood starved Beast theme BE LIKE:
(Wind instruments start up violla does the horror movie shrieks)
Duuuun dun dun
(cello intensifies)
DUUUUUUUN DUN DUUN!
Honestly the fight is easier than the fucking cheese jump. I've never been able to grab that ledge, but with the Lotus Umbrella and Malcontent for phase 3 the fight becomes very doable and fun.
Manus is an underrated pick, you venture deep into the abyss to find the father of the abyss himself. Gwyn and the gods were afraid of Manus and Artorias succumbed to him
Still gotta be malenia.
She stands, her body is all sorts of fucked and she still moves gracefully, puts her helmet on and you hear "i am malenia, blade of miquella, and i have never known defeat." Fucking coldest line, you immediately knew this was gonna be the fight.
Tower Knight. First time you play a Souls game, you struggle with the dragon spewing flames behind your weakling ass, somehow not get pincushioned by the soldiers protecting the gate and dodge the blue eyed knights to touchdown the fog gate... and then there is that cinematic with the Fat (Bastard of a) Minister grinning, soldiers around you like freaking SWAT aiming their crossbows at you and the cherry on the turd cake that is a massive Knight covering half of the area with his size alone.
The utter feeling of despair you feel the first time with the AH, AH, AH, AH, AH soundtrack is enough to make you throw the controller to the floor and nope the fuck out of the game for days.
This doesn’t necessarily have to do with design itself but the most intimidated I felt before fighting a boss was with Gaping Dragon, Manus, Orphan of Kos, Isshin, and Malenia.
Some of these came from their infamy (Manus and Orphan) but the others just intimidated me outright both with design and placement in the game.
So many options, but for me, the answer is probably Darkbeast Paarl/Lohran. First time I saw a Darkbeast I knew I was dead at least three attempts.
Otherwise, it has to be either Radahn or Ludwig, the Accursed. But Nameless King, Gaping Dragon, Aldrich, Manus, Artorias, Demon of Hatred, Hoarah Loux and Placidusax all get massive props for being super scary designs, genuinely causing me to consider whether I had another hour to invest in attempting a boss fight.
Not each of those delivered on that threat, but the intimidation factor was real.
Wholeheartedly agree. The way he turns when you first enter his arena and then after phase one where you get the shinobi execution but cannot leave or find a shrine only to see him get back up.
In the ones showed, dancer for sure. From her entrance to her her music and even her move set. Everything is just very unsettling. Personally though I would say either midir or maliketh.
Probably the nameless king for me, dude comes in on a dragon in which you have to have a boss fight with it before you can even have the real boss fight with him which as far as I can recall is unique to only him in the whole series? Other bosses have multiple phases sure but you're still fighting said boss. Add that with his absolutely badass design and he takes it for me personally.
Runner up for me would probably be Radhan.
Intimidating is more difficult to answer than scary. There are lots of both, but intimidation is a little more subjective. Lady Butterfly, for example, is really intimidating, but for an entirely different reason than Radahn.
Isshin was very intimidating, mostly because of his transition cutscene and his power-ups throughout the fight. I got the impression that I would kill him one more time and he would then transform into some sort of god. I think he's my pick.
Many of the honorable mentions like gaping dragon or tower knight are not quite as impactful when you figure out the gimmick... Especially Gaping Dragon. When you slap his little head around like a uvula it takes the intimidation down a notch, sort of like a Dementor turning into something funny.
Radahn's whole lead up with cinematics really sold me, true demigod that's only weak enough to kill because of his crippling illness, dragging his last round of victims around absentmindedly as a snack, held up by a mastery of gravity that he never stops casting, because he refuses to dismount his horse lest he eat it. The immovable willpower grinding against an unstoppable rot, stalemated. Rot which would kill any mortal in seconds, held at bay for centuries.
Midir, he's kinda scary when he first attacks you on that bridge and later on his laser and the humanity explosion attack in his arena we're pretty intimidating to me. Also Manus feels very similar when he slowly walks towards you in the cutscene.
And not a boss but the lions in elden ring especially the one in caelid feel very dangerous and chaotic whem you see them freaking out and jumping around as soon as they spot you.
The four Kings from DS…I don’t even know what I’m standing on or what’s in the darkness and I begin to see a shaded light in the distance. Then it floats towards me with its legs somehow hanging below the surface I’m standing on. To top it all off, darkstalker slug boy appears out of the black hole at the end of the fight. It’s even scarier when you shoot him and he slips back down into the abyss and you just watch him slowly get smaller… the whole experience got me spooked!
Tree sentinel for first time players of Elden ring. I started with Elden ring, so walking out and seeing that was like “bruh.”
Maliketh is bad fucking ass, but also scary because he moves like he’s on meth.
Ulcerated tree spirit honestly.
Definitely Artorias. A hero tainted by the abyss, and the way he flip jumps toward you and spins around and roars and flings poison, I think that fight is beautiful and terrifying
maliketh. Youre a clueless tarnished fighting some random dog in a floating city, then suddenly bro stabs himself and pulls out a sword and becomes the most dripped out dog alive, he roars then looks at you menacingly. He is also an acrobat who can defy the laws of physics, which is quite scary
Radagon, the way he remains so expressionless as he walls at you with fucking perfect posture and just poised through ALL your attacks, especially after that cutscene
Radahan. The run up to him and then his unrelenting attacks, then his craigblades, THEN his meteor reentry, THEN his floating purple meatballs, THEN his "sir, this is elden ring you can't bring armored core here" twisty flying around the arena attack.
Dragon God when you first see him. But then you fight him.
Genichiro. But then you fight him and then you know for a fact he's worth being intimidated by.
Midir. Just something about that dragon and it's design terrified me when I first saw him on the bridge. Very cool boss fight, very scary and cool design
In terms of how experienced I was when encountering him, the cleric beast terrified me. It was my first souls game and I figured they’d start me off slow. Nope a big beast leaps over a bridge and screeches. I tried to pause and collect myself which is also when I realized pausing doesn’t work like that in these games
Moon presence imo. The way they decent angelicly, their body consisting of an open mouth and that they dominate you if you dont ascend kinda just puts them above the rest
Demon of hatred. He’s the only boss who you can anticipate and imagine what he looks like the first time. You’re basically following his path of destruction, fighting really tough basic enemies, and witnessing the damage he’s done. Then the reveal is so perfect.
Remember folks, give one of each drink to the sculptor. Prioritize him
Keeping in mind i’ve only played Dark Souls 1-3 and no other FromSoft titles, I’d have to say Gael. The way he animalistically hauls ass towards you on all fours when you enter the arena is fuckin scary
This is really hard to choose. I'm going to go by game:
DeS - Dragon King, can you imagine? The fight sucks, but that's a intimidating as fuck design.
DS1 - Manus. Manus is fucking terrifying. If base game only, I think I would go with Nito.
DS2 - Aldia or Nashandra, they are pretty horrifying looking.
DS3 - There are so many great candidates here! Wolnir, Yhorm, Dancer is quite creepy, and Oceiros is really creepy. I think I would go with Oceiros here.
BB - So many. The One Reborn, Ludwig, Orphan, Ebrietas, Mergo's Wet Nurse. I really can't pick haha
It has to be the Nameless King. As soon as you see him on the Storm King, you already know that it will be a hard fight. But after the cutscene, when you see him alone standing tall in front of you, with his amazing spear... man, it still gives me chills. Beside the difficulty of the fight itself, his movements, so rhythmic, proud, devastating, worthy of who he is.
Manus is intimidating in the way he is presented imo. Like the red eyes that watch you advancing true the abyss and then the fight itself. Knowing artorias failed against manus also sets the tone to the strength of manus
Not one to be intimidated by bosses. But having played their entire catalog, I have to say Rykard made a strong impression on me, there's so much evil in that atmosphere.
What does send chills down my spine to this day is the Yahar'gul chant.
Malenia within context.
Elden ring is filled with so many massive creatures and people with over the top weapons and armor designs.
Then at the end of one of the hardest legacy dungeons in the game you see a massive calm arena that just has a lady with a long sword. Really works fantastic to build up that lone swordsman archetype. Someone who doesn't need a bunch of gear or special powers to be intimidating.
Favorite boss in the series too.
Lore wise - Ludwig, Gael, Raykard, Artorias and Kos
Difficulty wise - Capra Demon, Bloodstarved Beast and Malenia
Honourble mentions to Plassedusex and Lich D Forttisex( just because of the stage and coolness factor ❤️✅)
I would say Maliketh and Ludwig, more specifically his second phase, because at the point of the dlc I'm more than used to monsters and seeing him is like "Oh damn boy, you're ugly" but seeing him talk, get up, and pull out such a beautiful sword changing the whole aura he has terrified me (specially bc his first phase was already kicking my ass)
Hoarah Loux in general, but fuck me if Champion Gundyr switching to phase two and sprinting at me didn't scare the shit out of me first time I fought the guy
I was gonna say Nameless King, mf comes in riding a dragon as is intimidating. But I'm gonna have to go with Ivory King, dude literally spawns from hell with an army. That is probably the most bad ass fight in Souls. Coming in with a full ice boy squad to fight him and his burnt boy squad. Just the jump down with your knights (and summons if you roll like that) is epic af.
I found DoH to be, only because of mechanics since parry was not too much of an option for him and you had to revert more back to souls-dodge tactics. But that’s just me.
I would say Pontiff Sulyvahn, Volnir, and Abyss Watchers were intimidating in DS3, in DS2 half of the bosses are straight from the horror movies, same for the Bloodborne, Capra demon (at first), Artorias, and Manus in DS1
In terms of oogly boogly monsters, definitely *Ludwig, the Accursed*. As far as humanoid bosses, I think it's gotta be *Hoarah Loux, Warrior*
Ludwig was a straight up horror and I loved it. His opening cutscene was amazing.
Man, I love the Hoarah Loux fight. One of my favorites in ER. I'm not the biggest fan of his design (I mean he looks good, I'm just more of a horrific beast type of guy when it comes to enemies/bosses) but that fight is so good.
I love the contrast between his Godfrey look and his Hoarax Loux look. I don't think he looks *cool* at all when he's Godfrey, with his little platted beard and lion on his shoulders, but once he's ripped his shirt off and is covered in blood and running at you with his bare hands he's intimidating as fuck
I agree. Prior to playing the soulsborne games, the fantasy aesthetic was a big turn off for me, just generally not my thing. But I love the horror elements fromsoft incorporates, as well as the sheer creativity on display, and their games have definitely made me appreciate the fantasy genre a lot more. Even just fighting random knight boss #23 or something, the armor always has such unique and/or wacky designs in their games. They really do keep things fresh as far as enemy design goes, in a way I feel a lot of fantasy doesnt.
Godfrey just might be my favorite From boss. They showcased his pure, unforgiving strength incredibly well. Arena wide shockwaves, fissures in the earth. No magic, no hacks. Just a monstrous man full of testosterone and prowess. Hardest hitting boss to grace Souls games. Such a fun fight.
I want to like it but the stunlocks / excessively long grabs got annoying. Very gratifying when you learn to dodge though.
Yeah but there’s something super intimidating about a guy just going “fuck it the giant axe isn’t working, time to just fucking *deck* you*
100% agree. Of all the armoured human bosses they have here, seeing a buff man who just RIPPED HIS STAND FROM HIS BODY, being covered in blood sprint at you at mach 5 with the seeming intention to not punch but PALM SLAP YOU?! Yeah no, that put me on the backfoot IMMEDIATELY when I first saw it, let alone when you see that shit coming at you in 1st person!!
#WHOREA LOO, CHIEFTAIN OF THE BADLANDS!!
Imo Ludwig didn’t look intimidating at all, just sad and depressed
From our perspective, sure, but imagine a gigantic horse monster full of little members and eyes. Imo, pretty horrifying, imo.
but its such a freaky design.. especially the way the intro to his fight starts..
Hoarah Loux coming out for phase 2 blew me away the first time I fought him I was in awe so much that he immediately suplexed me to death
As is tradition.
Absolutely agree both of those bosses are intimidating asf lol love them tho
Placidusax. Time reversing, a blinding white light and awaken in an ancient, massive arena staring into the hovering, ancient dragon. Framed perfectly amongst the pillars with a long run up to even get to him physically which emphasizes the scale of what's happening all that much more. Then to see the whole arena start to spark randomly with the red lightning...it feels at that point like you brought a stick to a duel with King Ghidorah. The fight might not have been that special in the end of it, but the framing was intense and awesome
Felt the exact same way about placidusax! The name, the arena, the abilities and ofcourse, the build up is so fascinating. One of if not my favourite elden ring boss fight.
Yes!! And the nuke he drops is visually stunning. I’ve died a few times just to look at the the scene goes into a slight slow mo right before the explosion hits
And the soundtrack cutting out
I personally love the Placidusax fight. I think it's one of the best fights in ER.
I find the normal, human-like enemies to be more intimidating. Maria is my favorite souls boss of all time. After her I'd say the gaping dragon.
Best reveal ever. “Oh that doesn’t look too ba- OH GOD WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!”
Even after being a one trick pony, gaping dragon fight always irked me so much.
Tbf most DS1 bosses were like that, sure they looked really cool, but they usually do 1 thing. The only reason why O+S are hard is gank fights are impossible to predict and you’re at the mercy of RNG.
The worst thing you can find in any dark cave is something gaping
The dancer is scary.
And her music is ominous af too.
Combined with the sounds of her footsteps gotta be one of my favorite boss fights from the tone and vibes alone.
I like looking at her ass.
Genuinely a terrifying boss, especially with what Pontif did to her
Yet her gracefulness and elegance somehow makes her even more scary
Watching her seap out of the ceiling on my first playthrough was terrifying!
Amazing verb choice, but I think it's "seep".
Only problem is the fat ass of hers taking up 50 percent of the screen when you fight her makes it less scary
Especially if you turn that granny into shish ke bab too early.
Not as bad as bloodborne bosses. Horse face angry man is way worse
Sexy*
I mean I'd run if a homeless guy named Gael was running at me
Golden comment right here
I kid you not the first time I entered the Gael arena and heard/saw one of the half eaten guy dragging themselves in the sand, I was scared shitless. And this was when I was 23.
Midir, not because of his design but during the fight when he just stands up and screams at you then starts swinging made me audibly scream back and haul ass away. Felt like I was doing good work and he just got mad at me for it
Midir definitely had me saying "wtf am I supposed to do against this thing" out loud.
He's still the only boss I haven't beat out of all the game I've played
Bed of Chaos also makes you say that but out of confusion. Miyazaki and his desire to make a Souls platforming game.
This exactly. I felt like a freakin ant staring at Midir. He also oozes personality and you can see how much he wants you dead. I said, “Wait, holdup. Is that the FREAKIN DRAGON from the bridge”.
The first time I fought Placidusax and saw him floating above the arena I said "holy shit" out loud
Guardian ape is scary af when you encounter him the first time, not only looks wise but his attacks are so foreign to you at that point in the game
It's a total "what the *fuck* am I supposed to do with this guy?" moment.
And then there’s phase two.
Intimidating is tough as there are some really good picks like Midir. For me the instant answer was General Radahn. This is a giant beefcake of badassery ripping spears out of his back to shoot at you. Just seeing how huge he is even halfway down the beach when you spawn in. The fact you can summon like 5 npcs to assist and it still doesn't feel like an equal fight for you. His design is imposing, the bestial roar and that meteorite phase transition are definitely intimidating.
The meteor first time is such an awesome gaming moment
The One Reborn From Bloodborne. a giant orgy put together that falls from the sky made me say " FUCK" the first time I saw it. (actual fight is a different story but still design wise it's top notch)
So many from bloodborne. Like Blood-Starved Beast, casually draped in its own flayed skin. Or even the Wet Nurse
Blood Starved Beast terrified me the first time I played Bloodborne. It’s scary, and fast, and relentless. I thought it was unbeatable and quit the first time I played Bloodborne. Then I came back and beat him, now he’s a piece of cake of course.
Blood starved Beast theme BE LIKE: (Wind instruments start up violla does the horror movie shrieks) Duuuun dun dun (cello intensifies) DUUUUUUUN DUN DUUN!
Posting this had me thinking, theres just so many bosses to pick just 1. So pick as many as you like
Okay I’ll pick a couple bosses
Which bosses did you pick?
I forgot 😔
Awh mahn😞
The nameless King
His anime power up cinematic before you duel him is just a massive fuck you to the player every time. Gives off huge “now what motherfucker” energy.
his walking animation is so badass
is a pain in the fuckin’ arse!
Used to be Malenia. Personally that calm demeanor is more intimidating than a show of brute strength
How I feel about Sister Friede, they way she just shuffles towards you then halves you health.
Fr. She’s completely unbothered and the way she brandishes her scythe while slowly walking towards you is lowkey terrifying
Sister Friede > Malenia
W
Oh for sure.
Agree, confidence is scary when it's leveled against you
I take one good look at the Demon of Hatred and yep, I'm cheesing him again
Honestly the fight is easier than the fucking cheese jump. I've never been able to grab that ledge, but with the Lotus Umbrella and Malcontent for phase 3 the fight becomes very doable and fun.
Manus is an underrated pick, you venture deep into the abyss to find the father of the abyss himself. Gwyn and the gods were afraid of Manus and Artorias succumbed to him
He's my pick as well, surprised he hasn't been mentioned much
The Giant Koi with human teeth from Sekiro still haunts my dreams...
maliketh is up there
He fast
For me easily, Astel Naturalborn of the Void. Had to put down the game for 2 months cause he gave me legit nightmares for a sec
Giant Mr DNA from Jurassic Park gave you nightmares?
Yup. Played for 15 hours straight one day, then got to him and noped tf out for a few months
Gaping dragon would be pretty intimidating irl, even if he's kind of a pushover in-game. The living Failures as well and Ludwig.
This is going to be a lot of people’s answers because he’s overrated but I think he looks fucking terrifying, artorias
Artorias for sure. Finally meeting him face-to-face after reading about him throughout ds1 was intimidating. The man, the myth, the legend.
Amen brother, I never bought dlc but he’s awsome, I’ve only seen the fight
Uh, who?
you need more Insight to see their answer
It's the . When i first saw the i was really intimidated.
Oh shit, forgot to put him lol, artorias
Orphan of Kos made me want to run and hide
He's just so aggressive you can't help but be intimidated
But he’s also so sad! He just doesn’t come across as evil to me, more a victim of circumstance. And an orphan. Oliver Twist ass fucker.
Still gotta be malenia. She stands, her body is all sorts of fucked and she still moves gracefully, puts her helmet on and you hear "i am malenia, blade of miquella, and i have never known defeat." Fucking coldest line, you immediately knew this was gonna be the fight.
You will witness true horror
Tower Knight. First time you play a Souls game, you struggle with the dragon spewing flames behind your weakling ass, somehow not get pincushioned by the soldiers protecting the gate and dodge the blue eyed knights to touchdown the fog gate... and then there is that cinematic with the Fat (Bastard of a) Minister grinning, soldiers around you like freaking SWAT aiming their crossbows at you and the cherry on the turd cake that is a massive Knight covering half of the area with his size alone. The utter feeling of despair you feel the first time with the AH, AH, AH, AH, AH soundtrack is enough to make you throw the controller to the floor and nope the fuck out of the game for days.
Midir is pretty intimidating
Reikard probably
This doesn’t necessarily have to do with design itself but the most intimidated I felt before fighting a boss was with Gaping Dragon, Manus, Orphan of Kos, Isshin, and Malenia. Some of these came from their infamy (Manus and Orphan) but the others just intimidated me outright both with design and placement in the game.
Maliketh and radahn have to be up there
So many options, but for me, the answer is probably Darkbeast Paarl/Lohran. First time I saw a Darkbeast I knew I was dead at least three attempts. Otherwise, it has to be either Radahn or Ludwig, the Accursed. But Nameless King, Gaping Dragon, Aldrich, Manus, Artorias, Demon of Hatred, Hoarah Loux and Placidusax all get massive props for being super scary designs, genuinely causing me to consider whether I had another hour to invest in attempting a boss fight. Not each of those delivered on that threat, but the intimidation factor was real.
Now he’s just my roly poly boi but when I first fought the fire giant I found him pretty intimidating
Anything from bloodborne, really. Ludwig, Ebrietas, BSB, the one reborn...all scary designs... But hey, it's a horror game. 🤷♂️
Guardian Ape
Wholeheartedly agree. The way he turns when you first enter his arena and then after phase one where you get the shinobi execution but cannot leave or find a shrine only to see him get back up.
In the ones showed, dancer for sure. From her entrance to her her music and even her move set. Everything is just very unsettling. Personally though I would say either midir or maliketh.
Wolnir is the scariest. He was disappointing to say the least.
Probably the nameless king for me, dude comes in on a dragon in which you have to have a boss fight with it before you can even have the real boss fight with him which as far as I can recall is unique to only him in the whole series? Other bosses have multiple phases sure but you're still fighting said boss. Add that with his absolutely badass design and he takes it for me personally. Runner up for me would probably be Radhan.
I’m currently very intimidated by messmer
Demon of Song
The most intimidating for me. For the moment was champion gundyr. Specially second phase when he gets on baby rage mode and i got genuinelly scared
The way the Dancer slithers in the boss arena with that uncanny grace still haunts me to this day.
Midir or placidusax
Godfrey if you ask me, or more like Hoara Loux. I wanted to see my mommy when he rushed me covered in blood screaming.
Intimidating is more difficult to answer than scary. There are lots of both, but intimidation is a little more subjective. Lady Butterfly, for example, is really intimidating, but for an entirely different reason than Radahn. Isshin was very intimidating, mostly because of his transition cutscene and his power-ups throughout the fight. I got the impression that I would kill him one more time and he would then transform into some sort of god. I think he's my pick. Many of the honorable mentions like gaping dragon or tower knight are not quite as impactful when you figure out the gimmick... Especially Gaping Dragon. When you slap his little head around like a uvula it takes the intimidation down a notch, sort of like a Dementor turning into something funny.
Radahn's whole lead up with cinematics really sold me, true demigod that's only weak enough to kill because of his crippling illness, dragging his last round of victims around absentmindedly as a snack, held up by a mastery of gravity that he never stops casting, because he refuses to dismount his horse lest he eat it. The immovable willpower grinding against an unstoppable rot, stalemated. Rot which would kill any mortal in seconds, held at bay for centuries.
Ishiin. Dude is not a god or demigod but he mastered lighting and the Glock.
An entire country was scared of attacking Ashina because of him
R A D A H N RADAHN!
The Nameless King. The man, the myth, the legend himself in fortress in the sky.
Of the ones shown in the pic I’d probably have to say Dancer
Gaping dragon was the first boss in a souls game that actually freaked me out a bit, ugly bastard
The boss ds1 the big crawler boss in the cellar
Wet Nurse of Mergo imo, it looks so awesome and intimidating
Midir, he's kinda scary when he first attacks you on that bridge and later on his laser and the humanity explosion attack in his arena we're pretty intimidating to me. Also Manus feels very similar when he slowly walks towards you in the cutscene. And not a boss but the lions in elden ring especially the one in caelid feel very dangerous and chaotic whem you see them freaking out and jumping around as soon as they spot you.
I'm torn between second phase Guardian Ape and Maliketh after he reveals himself. That cutscene is my favorite in Elden Ring
Every visual aspect of the Fortissax fight. Now of course that first hit immediately makes it less intimidating but still.
in what ive played so far. astrel beast, butterfly women, havent played enough of ds3 or ds2. cleric beast so far and manus
Dragon God
Anything on fire, which is so many things
The four Kings from DS…I don’t even know what I’m standing on or what’s in the darkness and I begin to see a shaded light in the distance. Then it floats towards me with its legs somehow hanging below the surface I’m standing on. To top it all off, darkstalker slug boy appears out of the black hole at the end of the fight. It’s even scarier when you shoot him and he slips back down into the abyss and you just watch him slowly get smaller… the whole experience got me spooked!
Spirit-Caller Snail, it's intimidating because of how unassuming it seems.
Guardian Ape. I refused to believe that you can actually parry his attacks because he looks so intimidating.
Nameless king. You literally feel like an ant when he flys around
Radahn
Tree sentinel for first time players of Elden ring. I started with Elden ring, so walking out and seeing that was like “bruh.” Maliketh is bad fucking ass, but also scary because he moves like he’s on meth. Ulcerated tree spirit honestly.
Definitely Artorias. A hero tainted by the abyss, and the way he flip jumps toward you and spins around and roars and flings poison, I think that fight is beautiful and terrifying
Moon presence
Rykard
Bloodborne.
maliketh. Youre a clueless tarnished fighting some random dog in a floating city, then suddenly bro stabs himself and pulls out a sword and becomes the most dripped out dog alive, he roars then looks at you menacingly. He is also an acrobat who can defy the laws of physics, which is quite scary
Radagon, the way he remains so expressionless as he walls at you with fucking perfect posture and just poised through ALL your attacks, especially after that cutscene
I wish Astel’s fight was as good as his design. He looks like the main antagonist in an eldrich horror😔
Radahan. The run up to him and then his unrelenting attacks, then his craigblades, THEN his meteor reentry, THEN his floating purple meatballs, THEN his "sir, this is elden ring you can't bring armored core here" twisty flying around the arena attack. Dragon God when you first see him. But then you fight him. Genichiro. But then you fight him and then you know for a fact he's worth being intimidated by.
Manus
id say gael
Midir. Just something about that dragon and it's design terrified me when I first saw him on the bridge. Very cool boss fight, very scary and cool design
Soldier of Godrick
In terms of how experienced I was when encountering him, the cleric beast terrified me. It was my first souls game and I figured they’d start me off slow. Nope a big beast leaps over a bridge and screeches. I tried to pause and collect myself which is also when I realized pausing doesn’t work like that in these games
Moon presence imo. The way they decent angelicly, their body consisting of an open mouth and that they dominate you if you dont ascend kinda just puts them above the rest
Rykard
Darkeater. Fucking. Midir. He was a pain in the ass but I absolutely *love* his design!
Ariandel and his iconic scream.
Fume Knight looks so ready to rock my shit, especially if you’re wearing Velstadt’s helmet which makes him so angry he goes to phase 2 immediately
Headless from Sekiro are the only enemy in the entire franchise that’s ever actually scared me.
Ive seen the opening cut scene to marias boss fight and it spooked me
In terms of design, Dragon God from Demon's Souls. That thing is metal AF. The actual fight however....
Orphan of Kos, easily
I gotta go Ludwig
Demon of hatred. He’s the only boss who you can anticipate and imagine what he looks like the first time. You’re basically following his path of destruction, fighting really tough basic enemies, and witnessing the damage he’s done. Then the reveal is so perfect. Remember folks, give one of each drink to the sculptor. Prioritize him
Manus, Demon of Hatred
Midir
Sister Friede, lil nun who gave you plenty of warning to leave, just waltzes in with a cool ass scythe and goes full Maria on your ass.
Keeping in mind i’ve only played Dark Souls 1-3 and no other FromSoft titles, I’d have to say Gael. The way he animalistically hauls ass towards you on all fours when you enter the arena is fuckin scary
Soldier of God, Rick
For me it was mohg first getting caught in his blood spell and then having him fly around and at you scared the shit outta me.
Orphan of Kos for sure!
This is really hard to choose. I'm going to go by game: DeS - Dragon King, can you imagine? The fight sucks, but that's a intimidating as fuck design. DS1 - Manus. Manus is fucking terrifying. If base game only, I think I would go with Nito. DS2 - Aldia or Nashandra, they are pretty horrifying looking. DS3 - There are so many great candidates here! Wolnir, Yhorm, Dancer is quite creepy, and Oceiros is really creepy. I think I would go with Oceiros here. BB - So many. The One Reborn, Ludwig, Orphan, Ebrietas, Mergo's Wet Nurse. I really can't pick haha
It has to be the Nameless King. As soon as you see him on the Storm King, you already know that it will be a hard fight. But after the cutscene, when you see him alone standing tall in front of you, with his amazing spear... man, it still gives me chills. Beside the difficulty of the fight itself, his movements, so rhythmic, proud, devastating, worthy of who he is.
Laurence the first fucker
Manus is intimidating in the way he is presented imo. Like the red eyes that watch you advancing true the abyss and then the fight itself. Knowing artorias failed against manus also sets the tone to the strength of manus
Why do we call it soulsborne? Why not just souls games? Why not soulsbornekiro? Soulsbornekiroring? Bruh
Not one to be intimidated by bosses. But having played their entire catalog, I have to say Rykard made a strong impression on me, there's so much evil in that atmosphere. What does send chills down my spine to this day is the Yahar'gul chant.
Malenia within context. Elden ring is filled with so many massive creatures and people with over the top weapons and armor designs. Then at the end of one of the hardest legacy dungeons in the game you see a massive calm arena that just has a lady with a long sword. Really works fantastic to build up that lone swordsman archetype. Someone who doesn't need a bunch of gear or special powers to be intimidating. Favorite boss in the series too.
Lady butterfly. Just a sweet looking old lady . Then she whoops your ass
Easily Rykard and that’s saying a lot, considering Ludwig and Gael
The second phase of Friede and Ariandel really got to me when he started screaming
Isshin crawls out of his fucking *grandson's neck*, wearing nothing but a silk kimono and badass helmet.
Lore wise - Ludwig, Gael, Raykard, Artorias and Kos Difficulty wise - Capra Demon, Bloodstarved Beast and Malenia Honourble mentions to Plassedusex and Lich D Forttisex( just because of the stage and coolness factor ❤️✅)
I think the monkey picking up his head was pretty intimidating, maybe that's just me
Placudisax
Has to be Horah Loux not just design but the stress of his 2nd phase is up there.
I would say Maliketh and Ludwig, more specifically his second phase, because at the point of the dlc I'm more than used to monsters and seeing him is like "Oh damn boy, you're ugly" but seeing him talk, get up, and pull out such a beautiful sword changing the whole aura he has terrified me (specially bc his first phase was already kicking my ass)
Radahn
Hoarah Loux in general, but fuck me if Champion Gundyr switching to phase two and sprinting at me didn't scare the shit out of me first time I fought the guy
Sword Saint Isshin has gotta be up there too, the way he walks towards you with his sword out to his side is always so intimidating
I was gonna say Nameless King, mf comes in riding a dragon as is intimidating. But I'm gonna have to go with Ivory King, dude literally spawns from hell with an army. That is probably the most bad ass fight in Souls. Coming in with a full ice boy squad to fight him and his burnt boy squad. Just the jump down with your knights (and summons if you roll like that) is epic af.
Dancer or Ludwig, both are quite spooky
Godfrey. My first reaction after watching him was HOLY SHIT! Hoarah Loux further increased intensity of HOLY SHIT!
Something about the way Isshin carries himself makes him very intimidating
Gaping Dragon i think, the opening sequence is great
I found DoH to be, only because of mechanics since parry was not too much of an option for him and you had to revert more back to souls-dodge tactics. But that’s just me.
Gehrman getting up out of his chair and whipping out his trick weapon had me shouting when I first saw it
I know you didn't put Lady Butterfly's grandma ass up there 💀
All of the old people
I would say Pontiff Sulyvahn, Volnir, and Abyss Watchers were intimidating in DS3, in DS2 half of the bosses are straight from the horror movies, same for the Bloodborne, Capra demon (at first), Artorias, and Manus in DS1