Elden Ring Nightreignhas been a blast for FromSoftware fans. Since the game was revealed, one of the biggest things players have been excited about is the return of some of their favorite bosses from the Dark Souls series.
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Bosses like the Nameless King and the Centipede Demon were the first to be revealed, and it immediately got everyone hyped for Nightreign. Now that all of these bosses from previous FromSoftware titles have been revealed, it is time to pit them against each other and see which ones are the best, and which ones just didn’t hit the mark in this new format.
Some of the bosses in the game were changed a fair amount, while others were kept almost the same as their original counterparts. This works better in some cases than others, so let’s take a look at who made the transition to Nightreign most successfully.
6Dancer Of The Boreal Valley
Smaller, But Still A Graceful Threat
I love theDancer of the Boreal Valleyfight inDark Souls 3.When you finally reach this boss, she is intimidating, methodical, and will not hesitate to mess you up if you make the wrong move.
For some reason, FromSoftware decided to make the Dancer of the Boreal Valley very small in Elden Ring Nightreign compared to her Dark Souls 3 self. This threw me off at first, since I am used to her being a much larger and more intimidating presence.
Nevertheless, the fight isn’t bad, but it definitely misses the mark when she is of a smaller stature. FromSoftware stuck to keeping her fight relatively the same as it is in Dark Souls 3, which is good, but makes it pack less of a punch than the other bosses added to the game.
5Centipede Demon
Slower And Much Chunkier
The Centipede Demon fight was a big deal during the network test for Nightreign. It was the first time I had seen this boss, and I was excited to challenge it.
Centipede Demon does not disappoint in Elden Ring Nightreign—at least not completely. The hulking mass is intimidating to look at, the limbs will attack you when they get cut off, and it can take a while to whittle this brute down.
Overall, the fight is definitely a step up from the original Dark Souls, but it could use some work. Most of the time, Centipede Demon feels like a walking punching bag, making the fight more boring than anything else.
Of course, if you don’t take him seriously, you can still easily die to the Centipede Demon,which can ruin your run.
4Gaping Dragon
My Boy Is Back… And Tiny
The Gaping Dragon is back, and I was super happy to see it appear from the fog. This fight got a pretty major overhaul, resulting in the dragon having some new attacks and a total revamp of its textures.
The results of FromSoftware’s work present a fight is much better than it was in the originalDark Souls.I remember the fight feeling much slower in Dark Souls. In Nightreign, it feels like the Gaping Dragon’s attacks have been sped up a bit, and the addition of the spit blocking you from healing makes you feel the pressure if the fight is going poorly for you.
This fight is one that I am excited for when it happens, but I do think the developer should have increased the dragon’s size and added a few more new attacks. This is one of the bosses I was personally hoping would be in the game, along with many others that aren’t andshould be added as DLC.
3Nameless King
And His Feathered Friend
The Nameless King boss fight was amazing in Dark Souls 3, and it is still amazing now. Unfortunately, FromSoftware didn’t appear to make any changes to the fight except that I can’t seem to ever stance break the dragon at the start like I could in Dark Souls 3.
Despite this, the king is still a fast-paced monster that fits in the world of Elden Ring. His attacks are punishing if your dodge game isn’t on point, and he has a habit of turning on a dime to switch targets.
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I wish From Software had taken more liberties with the Nameless King as they did with other bosses on the list. The devs could have given him some of the game’sdragon incantationsto really give him a buff.
Either way, this fight holds up really well, even if it caused me to experience some PTSD from one of the previouslymost challenging fights in all of Dark Souls.
2The Duke’s Dear Freja
Not For The Arachnophobic
I had been so excited to fight The Duke’s Dear Freja again since it was first revealed to be in Elden Ring Nightreign. There is no doubt that this boss was janky in Dark Souls 2. There was even a glitch that could make the fight unwinnable.
FromSoftware took the time to revamp this entire fight. Freja got some new attacks, with one shrouding the entire arena in webbing, slowing the players down and making everything more deadly.
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Not only this, but the spiders that join Freja in the arena are actually a threat. Before, you could easily kill them at the start of the fight and methodically attack Freja’s head. Now, you need to worry about them constantly through the fight, and it is all the better for it.
This is one of the coolest bosses from DS2 despiteits brutal runback, but the best fight that got brought over to Nightreign from the black sheep of the Dark Souls series is still to come.
1Smelter Demon
They Really Dealt It
I had no idea that Smelter Demon was going to be in Elden Ring Nightreign, so imagine my surprise when I saw it appear in all its glory from the fog. This fight was the bane of my existence inDark Souls 2for the longest time, and in Nightreign, it does not disappoint.
While they decreased the Smelter Demon’s size, it got a major overhaul elsewhere with new attacks and a phase transition that has it bursting into blue flames and sprinkling the arena with damaging sparks.
The first time I saw the Smelter Demon in Nightreign, I was excited, and now I am always hoping to challenge this boss because the fight feels that fresh. You might need to brush up onsome beginner fundamentalsso as not to be blindsided by his ferocity.
Smelter Demon is the best of the six Dark Souls fights we’ve seen in Nightreign to this point, but here’s to hoping more get added some time in the future.
