6 Bosses Who Were Harder Than The Final Boss

by

Typically, the last boss in a video game is designed to be the hardest fight. Developers build up to this final challenge, expecting it to test everything players have learned. While some games include optional, incredibly difficult bosses for dedicated players, this list focuses on bosses that are more challenging than the final boss and are necessary to complete the story. You won’t find famous optional bosses here, like The Nameless King from Dark Souls 3 or the Weapons from Final Fantasy VII; those deserve their own list.

Here are six of the toughest non-final bosses in gaming history.

6) Whitney – Pokémon Gold and Silver

When Game Freak created the second generation of Pokémon games, they appeared to challenge the idea that Normal-type Pokémon were weak. While competitive players already understood their potential, many gamers started Pokémon Gold and Silver expecting Normal-types to be easily defeated.

Whitney was notoriously difficult for many players, and she proved a harsh reality check early in the game. Her Milktank was incredibly strong, especially in the beginning. She could wear down opponents with moves like Stomp and Milk Drink, and because most starter Pokémon were male, her Attract move could severely limit their ability to attack. While she became manageable once players figured out her weaknesses, that first encounter was a real struggle, making her gym battle one of the toughest in the series considering how early it takes place.

5) Grim Matchstick – Cuphead

Grim Matchstick can be challenging because you have to move around the arena, avoid his attacks, and still manage to shoot at him. The fight itself isn’t overly difficult, but it takes practice to keep track of everything happening on screen and stay alive.

This fight isn’t about memorizing patterns – everything is random, so each encounter will be different. There’s no shortcut to success other than being patient. Some players find using the Lobber weapon helps with aiming, making the fight a bit more manageable.

4) Laxasia the Complete – Lies of P

Laxasia is one of the final bosses in Lies of P, and you’ll definitely have a tough fight. She uses many different electrical attacks and long attack combinations that can quickly deal a lot of damage. If you manage to get past her first phase, she’ll regain health, lose her armor, and become even quicker.

Here are a few tips to help with the battle. She’s vulnerable to acid attacks, and if you can destroy her shield early on, you can move behind her for a safer way to attack without getting caught in a combo. Even so, she’s a much tougher opponent than the final boss, Simon Manus.

3) Majima and Saejima – Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is known for a surprisingly difficult jump in challenge. The game starts off fun and easy as you explore Yokohama with Ichiban and his friends, enjoying the new turn-based combat. But when you reach Sotenbori, things change quickly. While a battle tower offers a chance to get stronger, it doesn’t prepare you for what’s coming, and continuing the story proves to be much harder than expected.

Okay, so Majima and Saejima show up, and at first I was stoked to see them! Then it hit me – I had to fight them. And let me tell you, they absolutely destroyed me. I got sent all the way back to a save from hours earlier – the game really doesn’t give you good save points right before a fight like that! It was super frustrating and just killed the flow of the game. I had to grind in the battle tower to level up before I could even think about beating them. Thankfully, once I did, the rest of the game was pretty smooth sailing, but man, that fight was a serious roadblock.

2) Ornstein and Smough – Dark Souls

Okay, let’s talk about tough bosses. For me, nothing was worse than Ornstein and Smough in the first Dark Souls. I know there are bosses that are even harder across the series, like Malenia in Elden Ring, but a lot of those are optional. You can skip them if you want. But Ornstein and Smough? You have to beat them if you want to actually finish Dark Souls. They’re a real roadblock!

Battling two bosses at once is notoriously difficult in FromSoftware games, and Ornstein and Smough are widely considered the hardest pairing. It’s best to try and fight them separately by using the pillars for cover, but be aware that some of their attacks can reach you even behind them. If you can overcome this challenge, though, you’ll likely find the rest of the game much more manageable.

1) Belias – Final Fantasy Tactics

The battle against Belias in the original Final Fantasy Tactics is notoriously difficult. You first have to face Wiegraf in a challenging solo fight. What makes it even harder is that the game doesn’t allow you to save between battles, meaning if you lose to Belias – and many players do – you have to start the entire sequence all over again.

To make matters worse, many players probably saved their game right before the boss fight. If you did, you’re stuck and can’t leave to level up your characters. This means if you get stuck on Belias and can’t win, you have to start the whole game over. Fortunately, The Ivalice Chronicles fixed most of these problems. The fight is still challenging, but at least you won’t accidentally get stuck with no way forward.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gaming/list/7-toughest-optional-bosses-most-players-skipped/embed/#

Read More

2026-02-23 00:41