While “hard” is always subjective, some of our best memories in video games come with hard bosses involved. While hard doesn’t always equal fun we think our Top 5 Hardest Bosses in video games list does a good job of finding the perfect mix of not only hard but also fun. We know we are for sure going to miss some of your favorite hard bosses and would love to hear about them over on our Twitter, but without further ado let’s jump into it.

5. Mike Tyson – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!

We start with a classic, Mike Tyson from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out was of the quintessential hardest video game bosses when the game came out back in 1987 and still remains high on that list today. Just making it to the point where you can fight Iron Mike is impressive in its own right. Once you’ve made it there you’re in for some dodging and counter-attacks.

Hardest Bosses In Video Games

With Mike towering over the player’s Little Mac you’re only chance is to not get knocked out. Reacting to Mike’s punches is your key to victory. Trying to predict Tyson’s next attack will very likely leave you out of the fight before you know what happened where you will have to restart and try again.

4. Sephiroth – Kingdom Hearts

Sephiroth is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII but also acts as an optional boss in Kingdom Hearts one as well as a minor story character in Kingdom Hearts II. Sephiroth is an extremely difficult boss to take down as he hits like a truck and can easily kill Sora (you) even while at max stats. On top of that Sephiroth is also immune to almost all forms of magic.

Hardest Bosses In Video Games

Sephiroth will attack with Masamune and will slash at Sora with high speed. While that is scary enough that isn’t all. Sephiroth also is capable of casting extremely powerful magical attacks that resemble his Final Fantasy character even more so. With attacks like “Heartless Angel” that drain Sora’s MP and leaves Sora with 1 HP, if he is not interrupted in time it’s not hard to see why Sephiroth made our Top 5 Hardest Bosses in Video Games list.

3. Skolas – Destiny

Lucky for us Skolas keeps to a routine as without it he sure would be a hell of a lot harder. Even with that being said due to relying on teamwork and communication on top of his already hard boss fight mechanics. Skolas will first spawn a batch of minions that are nearly immune to all your attacks until you manage to find one of the essentially invisible servitors. After killing the servitor you finally have a chance to hit Skolas himself.

Hardest Bosses in Video Games

That’s just the start as well. The mix of mechanics and the need for good teamwork and communication is what makes Skolas so hard and why he’s on our Top 5 Hardest Bosses in Video Games list.

2. The Nameless King – Dark Souls III

For someone with no name, he sure is known by many. The Dark Souls series is known for riding its incredibly hard gameplay and has brought many people some stressful days of just dying over and over again. The Nameless King is likely responsible for quite a few of those days. The Nameless King is an optional boss and is known for the blue wyvern he rides atop during the first phase of the fight and his deadly spear.

Hardest Bosses in Video Games

With both phases of the fight capable of doing massive lightning damage, you may want some lightning-resistant gear. Things like bleeds and poison/toxins are pretty useless in the fight as he is resistant and even immune in some cases. Stay on your toes and do your best to figure out the move set. Remember Dark Souls is meant to be hard and the challenge is what makes the games so fun. Take your time walk away if you need to and don’t get frustrated.

1. Absolute Virtue – Final Fantasy XI

Finally, number 1 on our Top 5 Hardest Bosses in Video Games list is Absolute Virtue. Absolute Virtue is known as an Aern High Notorious Monster and is one of if not the most infamous monsters not only in Final Fantasy but all of gaming. So what makes the fight so hard you might ask? Well for starters Absolute Virtue has auto regen that sits at approximately 500 hp per tic. While this can be reduced by killing many of Jailer of Love’s pets or by targeting Absolute Virtue with magical attacks in order of tier. Both methods will reduce the auto regen by up to %50 but that’s just the start.

Hardest Bosses in Video Games

Being a dragoon Absolute Virtue uses Dragoon-only Aern abilities but also has access to multiple special job abilities that can be used repeatedly and in succession. AV’s behavior varies according to which special job ability it has active and will be limited to those certain abilities during that fight. On top of everything else, you have a 2-hour limit to kill AV if not it will despawn and you will have to start over again.

That concludes our Top 5 Hardest Bosses in Video Games list! We hope you liked it and would love to know what other bosses you think might crack your top 5 Hardest Bosses in Video Games. There are so many out there that we know there could be endless variations, but we are always interested to hear more from the gaming community. If you did like the list be sure to check out some of our other Top 5 lists we have!

By Zach Yagle

Zach, a 26-year-old living in Denver, Colorado, shares a deep passion for video games that has been a constant source of joy and inspiration throughout his life. Since his childhood, Zach has immersed himself in the world of gaming, exploring a wide range of titles across various platforms.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *