Boss fights are one of Soulsborne games’ fundamental pillars, becoming the main reason players are drawn to this kind of experience.

Since they hold their installments’ best features, they also represent the most memorable moments, offering outstanding experiences in terms of gameplay, story, music, and aesthetics.

However, the most important fights are usually not straightforward, as many have multiple stages to make the confrontations more difficult, varied, and unpredictable.

These encounters are common among FromSoftware video games, so I present you this ranked list of the ten best multi-phase Souls bosses.

10 Ornstein and Smough

The Most Iconic Duo

As the only bosses in the first Dark Souls to have a fight with multiple, clearly divided phases, Ornstein and Smough are pure history in the series.

Although they have been left behind by other bosses over time, they are the standard that has allowed FromSoftware to grow even further regarding the creation of wonderful dual fights with different stages.

The cinematic that takes place when you defeat one of the two is masterful, and really shows how much is at stake for both warriors. Considering there are two types of cutscenes depending on who you defeat first, it’s even more special.

Even though Ornstein and Smough are a simple fight seen through today’s eyes, they are still the best duo in the trilogy and one of the best boss fights ever created.

9 Lady Maria

Between Blood and Flame

Among other factors, I consider Bloodborne: The Old Hunters to be the best DLC ever because of Lady Maria‘s existence, an incredibly outstanding character.

Her combat is some of the most graceful, aggressive, and spectacular FromSoftware has ever created, especially with how she gains momentum as her health bar decreases.

Through a regular phase, another full of bloody movements, and a final one charged with fire attacks, the combat’s pace is practically unmatched.

The fight is easier than it seems thanks to the parry mechanics and the possibility of stunlocking her, but Lady Maria is a masterpiece of a boss in every sense.

8 Nameless King

A Duel Among the Clouds

FromSoftware didn’t hesitate to place one of its best bosses behind an extremely hidden optional area, which is precisely Nameless King’s case.

Getting to him is a very convoluted process, but it’s the mandatory sacrifice to witness one of the most special moments in all of Dark Souls 3.

The Nameless King introduction is magnificent, landing with his dragon in an arena above the clouds, but his transition to the second phase truly sets the encounter alight.

Seeing him take the power of his fallen companion like Ornstein and Smough is great, and then fighting the most difficult humanoid in the entire trilogy is even better.

Nameless King will forever be one of the most memorable figures in the Soulsborne games, and that won’t change despite how many installments the formula continues to receive.

7 Malenia, Blade of Miquella

A Difficult Dance

One of the key features of multi-phase fights is the empty feeling you get when, after dozens of attempts, you realize the battle is far from over.

While that emotion is common in this kind of fight, Elden Ring’s Malenia took the situation to a completely unprecedented extreme, bringing to tears even the most hardcore Soulsborne players.

Like the boss fight itself, the transition cinematic is one of the best FromSoftware has created in all these years, with a mystique as terrifying as it is beautiful.

Then comes the most demanding, choreographed, and precise encounter in the game, being as glorious as humanly possible for one of the strongest women in the Soulsborne series.

6 Maliketh, the Black Blade

Looking Death in the Eye

The fight with Maliketh is the exact moment when FromSoftware convinced me they hadn’t created anything remotely similar to Elden Ring, and for good reason.

While the Cleric beast could be the best boss in any other game, here it’s just the appetizer for a fight that has no comparison in terms of narrative, aesthetics, and showiness.

Watching the Black Blade jump from pillar to pillar, throwing at you the vestiges of the only weapon in The Lands Between that can give death as it shines in its perfect artistic design, is something immaculate.

It’s neither Elden Ring‘s most difficult nor complex boss, but it’s the one that best represents how far a formula that began with the limited, yet excellent Demon’s Souls has come.

5 Sister Friede

Three-Phase Madness

From Demon’s Souls to Dark Souls 3, FromSoftware maintained a clear division between its bosses’ phases, never exceeding the limit of two health bars.

However, Sister Friede from Ashes of Ariandel came to subvert absolutely any expectations, not only by being a very difficult boss from its first phase, but by daring to have three.

After a demanding first contact, a dazzling dual phase takes place with Ariandel as the protagonist, showing off a parade of visual effects and thunderous sounds.

The combat saves its most difficult threats for the last stage, where Friede closes like a tornado of black fire that gives no respite at almost any time.

Overall, it’s a magnificent boss who succeeds for every imaginable reason, but it stands out mainly for not limiting itself and being as bold and difficult as it wants to be.

4 Messmer the Impaler

An Abandoned God

After becoming one of the best Legacy Dungeons in Elden Ring for its density, Shadow Keep concludes its content with the incredible Messmer the Impaler.

Marika’s son lived up to the high expectations he left after his starring role in the various Shadow of the Erdtree trailers, offering an outstanding boss fight that could easily be the game’s best.

Adding Malenia’s acrobatic choreography to Maliketh’s spectacular movements and effects, Messmer starts powerfully and continues even stronger with his second phase.

After a bloody cinematic with hundreds of lore implications, Messmer succumbs to his inner demons and gives us a sensational fight I will never forget.

Unfortunately, it isn’t the DLC’s hardest boss, but that doesn’t diminish the quality of a fascinating battle from the smallest to the most important detail.

3 Soul of Cinder

Sending Shivers Down Your Spine

Dark Souls 3 is lovingly dedicated to the trilogy’s fans, seeking to captivate them through nostalgia and the closing of cycles.

Therefore, when you hear the reminiscences of the Gwyn, Lord of Cinder theme in the second phase of Soul of Cinder, you have no choice but to accept you are facing a masterpiece and a magnificent conclusion.

The first phase already has significant weight because of its amalgamated representation of all the characters that were part of the story of fire and darkness.

However, when Gwyn takes over the empty husk we’re fighting and grants it his attacks, everything rises to another level, generating emotions that can hardly be achieved in any other way.

Beyond any comparison with other bosses, Soul of Cinder is an unforgettable and perfect encounter that’s more than we could have wished for.

2 Ludwig, The Holy Blade

An Unforgettable Transition

With the best theme in the best DLC, Ludwig from Bloodborne: The Old Hunters is unquestionably the pinnacle of transitions.

His combat features a marked duality where the tragic character goes from a ruthless beast to a graceful swordsman in a matter of seconds.

Beyond being a substantial transformation in appearance and soundtrack, it is also a change in gameplay, given each phase demands a different but equally satisfying style of play.

Seeing the Moonlight Sword again at the hands of one of the best Soulsborne bosses is as worthy as it is charming, and only such an iconic element could bring about a transition as historic as Ludwig’s.

1 Isshin, the Sword Saint

An Electric Duel

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a perfect title in almost every way, and that inevitably includes the outstanding Isshin, the Sword Saint.

The game acknowledges our progress as shinobi by having us face Genichiro Ashina once again, who’s unable to stop us despite his great increase in power.

Yet, Sekiro also acknowledges our skill and thus places us in front of a boss who’s a worthy contender for being the most difficult in the history of video games.

That duality of phases alone makes the fight worthy of being on this list, but considering Isshin hides three phases within himself, the only alternative is to stand up and applaud.

First a sword, then a spear and a pistol, and finally lightning—Isshin, the Sword Saint is definitely in a league of his own.