Dark Souls: Remastered is a great way of revisiting what is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The title is a Demon’s Souls spin-off and the first game in the Dark Souls franchise, games that are known for their difficulty and tough bosses. If you’re stuck or are new to the game and are hoping for some direction, take a look at our Dark Souls: Remastered boss order for information on all bosses, where to find them, and what you earn from defeating them.
Dark Souls Boss Order
Throughout the beginning of Dark Souls: Remastered, you’ll follow a rather linear path in defeating bosses as you set out to ring the Bells Of Awakening. Once you’ve rung both bells and have defeated Ornstein and Smough, you’ll generally be free to take on the remaining bosses as you like.
Due to their varying difficulty, we suggest you follow our suggested Dark Souls boss order, which showcases the order we think is best for you to take on bosses. However, feel free to take on each of the game’s bosses in whatever order you want and use our guide for inspiration. Check out our Dark Souls: Remastered boss order below.
Asylum Demon
The Asylum Demon is the first Dark Souls: Remastered boss that you’ll encounter. There are actually two encounters. The first takes place after you’ve lit your first bonfire and have stepped into a large courtyard. The second occurs once you’ve climbed to the top of the courtyard, from there you can perform a plunging attack on the Asylum Demon. There are different rewards for defeating the Asylum Demon in either encounter.
The Asylum Demon isn’t a challenging boss, as the fight will mostly be a game of patience, waiting for the Demon to perform its attacks, and then attacking it after. Defeating the Asylum Demon during the first encounter will reward you with the Demon’s Great Hammer, while defeating it in your second encounter will reward you with the Big Pilgrim’s Key, which is used to unlock the door in the courtyard – the key is instead given by Oscar Of Astora if the Demon is killed during your first encounter. The Asylum Demon is mandatory.
Taurus Demon
The Taurus Demon is an early Dark Souls: Remastered boss that is found atop a narrow castle wall between the Undead Burg and the Undead Parish. The Taurus Demon appears only once you’ve crossed halfway along the castle wall, but it’s recommended that you defeat the two Archers standing at the top of the castle tower as they’ll shoot bolts as you attempt to defeat the Taurus Demon.
You can use the castle tower to perform plunging attacks on the Taurus Demon, but if you take too long he can jump up onto the tower with you.
His attacks deal a lot of damage, particularly this early in the game, but the Taurus Demon is weak to lightning damage, can be staggered, and, if you’re lucky, call fall off the side of the castle wall. The boss is optional if you have the Master Key, which you can use to unlock a shortcut to Darkroot Basin, which eventually leads back to the Undead Parish.
Bell Gargoyles
The Bell Gargoyles is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss fight that is found on the roof of the Undead Parish. The fight requires you to face two Gargoyles. The first Gargoyle appears immediately but the second only appears once you’ve depleted half of the first Gargoyle’s health. Both enemies wield halberds and breathe fire, and they can quickly overwhelm you during the second phase of the fight.
The two Gargoyles are weak to lightning damage, so it’s a good idea to use Gold Pine Resin if possible.
It’s important to try and stay close to the Gargoyles to prevent them from using their fire breath, and you should never be afraid to run if they gang up on you. The Bell Gargoyles are mandatory, as you’ll need to ring the Undead Parish’s Bell Of Awakening to progress the story.
Moonlight Butterfly
The Moonlight Butterfly is an optional Dark Souls: Remastered boss that can be found in Darkroot Garden. You’ll have to fight your way through a forest filled with plants and Stone Giants and climb to the top of a stone bridge for this slow-paced fight. The battle mostly involves you moving up and down the bridge dodging the Moonlight Butterfly’s projectiles – some of which can deal devastating damage – and then two-handing your weapon and attacking when the enemy lands.
Defeating the Moonlight Butterfly rewards you with the Soul Of The Moonlight Butterfly, which can be consumed for 1,200 Souls, given to Frampt for 8,000 Souls, or it can be used to obtain the Moonlight Butterfly Horn or Crystal Ring Shield.
Capra Demon
The Capra Demon is a Dark Souls: Remastered boss found in the Lower Undead Burg and later as an enemy in the Demon Ruins area. The boss usually marks a spike in difficulty for most players as the run to the Capra Demon involves you facing Undead Assassins that deal bleeding damage as well as several dogs. The boss arena itself is incredibly cramped and in addition to facing the Capra Demon, you’ll have to fight off two Undead Dogs, with all three enemies potentially swarming you the second you pass the Fog Wall.
It’s recommended that you immediately run into the arena to avoid the Capra Demon’s lunge attack, run up the stairs to kill the two Undead Dogs, and then repeatedly perform plunge attacks on the Capra Demon alongside traditional combat in order to quickly defeat him. You’ll need to be quick and time your attacks right, as the Capra Demon can easily destroy you. The Capra Demon is mandatory as it drops the Key To The Depths, which is required to explore the Depths on your way to Blighttown.
Gaping Dragon
Gaping Dragon is an optional Dark Souls: Remastered boss. Found in the Depths, the boss is a malformed dragon with an exposed ribcage that drops the key to Blighttown, although users with the Master Key can skip the fight by entering Valley Of The Drakes and entering Blighttown via a back entrance.
A Channeler can be found overlooking the boss arena and should be defeated before attempting the boss, as it can cast spells that make the fight more challenging.
The Gaping Dragon performs several attacks, including a powerful dash, a tail swipe, and vomiting acid. The fight can be incredibly easy if you bait his dash attack, wait for the animation to complete, and then attack. This strategy will take some time, but it’s safe. Once defeated, you’ll be able to access one of Dark Souls most infamous areas; Blighttown.
Chaos Witch Quelaag
Chaos Witch Quelaag is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss that can be found past boulder-throwing giants at the bottom of Blighttown in Quelaag’s Domain.
Quelaag is a half-spider, half-woman monster that guards her sister and the second Bell Of Awakening, which is needed to progress the game’s story. Quelaag deals fire damage through melee attacks and through her fire and lava attacks.
The lava breath remains on the floor for several seconds and will set your character on fire if stepped on. Quelaag is weak to lightning, and when fighting it’s a good idea to stick close to her sides. Once defeated, you’ll have access to Demon Ruins, a mandatory area best explored later on in the game.
Iron Golem
Iron Golem is another mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss. Defeating the boss marks a significant turning point for the game’s story as you’re whisked to Anor Londo. Found at the top of the confusing and infuriating Sen’s Fortress, the Iron Golem boss fight can be relatively easy as the enemy is slow to move and has a rather predictable moveset.
You’ll have to watch his giant axe and his ground slams, but you can easily defeat him by slashing at his ankles. During your fight, it’s important to remain vigilant of your surroundings to avoid falling off the boss arena platform. We also suggest you defeat the Firebomb Giant at the top of a nearby tower, as he will throw firebombs during the fight and make it much more challenging. Once defeated, you will be able to buy the Iron Golem armour set from Domhnall of Zena.
Ornstein And Smough
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough are one of the most challenging boss fights in Dark Souls: Remastered. The pair are mandatory, and you’ll face both of them in Anor Londo. Ornstein is agile, relies on lunge attacks, deals lightning damage, while Smough is slower but deals massive amounts of damage.
Together, Ornstein and Smough prove to be dangerous foes and offers players one of the biggest challenges in Dark Souls. Once you’ve defeated one of the bosses, the surviving boss absorbs the other’s body or abilities.
For example, defeating Ornstein sees Smough gain lightning attacks, while defeating Smough sees Ornstein become giant. This boss fight is one of the hardest in the game and requires you to keep an eye on both enemies while evading their attacks and dealing damage when you can.
Ornstein and Smough are weak to fire damage and Smough is weak to lightning damage too, so use that to your advantage. Once defeated, give yourself a pat on the back for overcoming one of the game’s most difficult challenges, and then visit Gwynevere to push through the remainder of the story. It’s also worth noting that the Leo Ring can be acquired by defeating Ornstein last, and both Smough and Ornstein’s armour can be bought from Domhnall of Zena once they’re defeated.
Crossbreed Priscilla
Crossbreed Priscilla is an optional boss in Dark Souls: Remastered. The dragon crossbreed is found in the Painted World Of Ariamis, which is accessed via a giant painting in the chapel in Anor Londo once you’ve acquired the Peculiar Doll from the Undead Asylum.
Upon meeting Crossbreed Priscilla, you’re given the option of either leaving the area or fighting her. For the duration of your fight, Priscilla will remain invisible, so you’ll need t watch her footprints in the snow.
Priscilla’s attacks can cause bleeding, but the fight isn’t too difficult. You’ll need to keep moving to avoid her attacks and keep your eyes on the snow for signs of Priscilla. Attack when you can and before you know it, you’ll have defeated her. It’s worth pointing out that cutting her tail off will reward you with Priscilla’s Dagger.
Dark Sun Gwyndolin
Dark Sun Gwyndolin is an optional Dark Souls: Remastered boss that can be found in the Darkmoon Tomb in Anor Londo, behind a statue of Lord Gwyn at the bottom of a moveable spiral staircase.
Leader of the Blade Of The Dark Moon Covenant, Gwyndolin fires a range of magic and ranged attacks, some of which can deal massive damage.
The fight takes place in an endless hallway, and you’ll need to approach Gwyndolin while avoiding his attacks. You’ll need to be quick to attack Gwyndolin, as he will teleport further along the hallway, requiring you to repeat your strategy. The fight is generally quite easy, but it can be long.
You’ll want armour and a shield that provides high magic resistance, and you’ll need to be careful in avoiding his attacks, but quick in attacking as soon as you can. Once defeated, you’ll be able to pass through the hallway to acquire two rewards out of three chests in a new room. Gwyndolin’s armour will also be available for purchase from Domhnnall of Zena, but the Firekeeper at the first Anor Londo bonfire will be hostile and when killed, her bonfire disabled.
Great Grey Wolf Sif
Great Grey Wolf Sif is another mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss. Sif was the loyal companion of Artorias the Abysswalker and now guards his grave. Sif attacks with a sword that has high range, dealing lots of damage. The wolf’s attacks include swipes, charges, spins, and more, so you’ll need to be quick at dodging or blocking while staying close to Sif to attack at every opportunity.
Sif is weak to lightning, and once defeated drops the Covenant of Artorias ring, which is required to face a boss later in the game.
After you’ve defeated Sif, you’ll be able to continue exploring via Darkroot Basin or New Londo Ruins, although we suggest you save New Londo Ruins for later in the game.
Seath The Scaleless
Seath The Scaleless is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss and one of the four Lords that destroyed dragons, with Seath, a dragon born with the stone scales of Everlasting Dragons, betraying his own kind. Seath posseses one of the four Lord Souls needed to complete the game. to be defeated to complete the game.
There are two encounters with Seath, the first being at the Duke’s Archive, where you’ll instantly die and awake locked in a cell.
After some exploration, you’ll eventually come across Crystal Cave, where you’ll have to endure invisible walkways and various crystal enemies before encountering Seath again. In the second encounter, you’ll need to destroy the Primordial Crystal located behind Seath before you can deal any damage. Seath’s attacks include crystal explosions, tail whips, and palm slams, all of which can deal lots of damage.
Thankfully, Seath is weak to lightning damage, and if you remain cautious, stay on top of your health, and keep attacking, you’ll eventually defeat Seath. Once you have defeated him, you’ll receive the first Lord Soul; the Soul of Seath The Scaleless. If you manage to cut off his larger tail during the fight by attacking its tip, you’ll receive the Moonlight Greatsword.
Ceaseless Discharge
Ceaseless Discharge is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss found in Demon Ruins, just past Quelaag’s Domain. The boss is triggered after you pick up the Gold-Hemmed Black armour found at the end of the boss arena.
Ceaseless Discharge primarily deals fire damage, and his attacks generally involve slamming his fists down onto the ground, slashing, and unleashing a stream of fire.
The boss isn’t too difficult, and the fight mostly requires you to avoid his slow attacks and deal damage whenever one of his fists are in reach. It’s a good idea to wear some armour or use a shield with high fire resistance. Once you’ve defeated Ceaseless Discharge, all of the lava in the Demon Ruins will drain, allowing you to continue exploring the area.
Demon Firesage
Demon Firesage is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss. Firesage can be found towards the end of the Demon Ruins area, and the boss behaves like the Stray Demon and Asylum Demon bosses, but inflicts fire damage and is much more agile.
To defeat the Firesage Demon, you’ll need to be fast, to run away from his shockwave attacks. Try to stay close to the Firesage Demon or, if possible, use magic as the boss is weak to it. Once defeated, you’ll acquire the Demon’s Catalyst and can proceed to the final boss of Demon Ruins.
Centipede Demon
The Centipede Demon is another mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss and the final boss of Demon Ruins. The boss is found in a lava-covered arena directly after the Firesage Demon and will prefer to remain on the lava, making this fight somewhat difficult.
The Centipede Demon has very far reach and attacks via swigs and slams from afar. It can also blast you with lava and grab you, dealing lots of damage. The Centipede Demon is weak to lightning and magic damage, with the latter being incredibly advantageous in this fight due to the enemy’s preference of attacking from lava.
To defeat the Centipede Demon, you should immediately run to the right over lava to a large section of land from which you can lure the enemy too and fight. Once defeated, you’ll receive the Orange Charred Ring, which reduces lava damage and is required for the next area; Lost Izalith.
The Bed Of Chaos
The Bed Of Chaos is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss, and it possesses one of the four Lord Souls needed to complete the game. More of a puzzle than a traditional boss fight, the Bed Of Chaos encounter requires you to make your way to either side of the boss where orange spheres guarding glowing roots are found and must be destroyed.
Once both roots have been destroyed, you’ll need to head towards the middle of the boss and defeat the creature at the centre.
As you destroy the roots, the boss will get progressively aggressive, and once both roots have been destroyed, the floor will begin to crumble. You’ll need to avoid the boss’ sweep and fire attacks while trying not to fall into the pits. If you die after destroying any of the roots, they will remain destroyed when you next enter the arena.
Stray Demon
The Stray Demon is an optimal Dark Souls: Remastered boss that can be found on your return to the Undead Asylum. The boss can be found stomping around its arena at the beginning of the game, but can only be accessed by returning to the area and falling through the floor of the Asylum Demon’s arena.
The boss behaves similarly to the Asylum Demon and the Firesage Demon, performing much of the same attacks as the latter.
To defeat the Stray Demon, you’ll need to keep close and continuously walk strafe around him while attacking. Avoid his attacks, including his dangerous magic staff attack, as much as possible and before you know it, you’ll have defeated him. We suggest you defeat the Undead Soldiers before falling into the Stray Demon’s arena, as they will fall with you and can make the fight a little more frustrating. We also suggest you take advantage of the pillars in the arena and immediately heal to recover fall damage upon entering the arena.
Pinwheel
Pinwheel is a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss. The boss can be found deep in The Catacombs and is widely regarded as one of the easiest bosses in the game.
Unfortunately, the journey to Pinwheel can be incredibly challenging and frustrating due to the fast and hard-hitting skeleton enemies and the overwhelming darkness of The Catacombs. During the fight, Pinwheel will attack with fireballs, and Pinwheel can create copies of himself with fewer attacks than the original boss.
You can defeat Pinwheel quickly, but we suggest you wear armour and use a shield with high fire resistance. Once defeated, you will receive the Rite Of Kindling, which allows for further kindling of bonfires to provide up to 20 Estus Flasks, and one of Pinwheel’s three masks; Mother, which increases health by 10%; Father, which increases equip load by 5%; and Child, which increases stamina regeneration by 22.5%. A ladder found in the Pinwheel boss arena can be used to access the Tomb Of Giants area.
Nito
Gravelord Nito is one of the four original Lords that helped defeat dragons, making him a mandatory Dark Souls: Remastered boss. Nito holds a Lord Soul, and he can be found at the end of the Tomb Of Giants.
His area is guarded by several skeleton enemies and several copies of Pinwheel. During the encounter, several skeletons will join Nito in fighting you, making the boss fight much more challenging.
Nito has several attacks, including a grab and several attacks that will fill your Toxic Meter. When full, the Toxin will rapidly reduce your health until death, when it’s cured or when the Toxic bar has depleted. Divine weapons can permanently kill the reviving skeletons, and magic can be useful in attacking the slow-moving Nito, as long as you stay aware of the skeletons around you. It’s worth noting that Nito is weak to fire damage, which can greatly help you.
Four Kings
The Four Kings are a group of ghost enemies found in New Londo Ruins that hold the final Lord Soul. The Four Kings are found a the bottom of the Abyss, and you can only survive the drop to the Abyss by equipping the Covenant Of Artorias ring and keeping it on throughout the entire fight. The boss fight requires you to face a total of five identical enemies that appear one at a time.
The boss fight can be incredibly difficult due to the lack of depth perception in the Abyss. What’s more, failure to defeat each of the Four Kings as they appear will make the fight harder as you’ll be required to take on multiple enemies. The King’s all attack with swords that inflict magic damage, and the enemies all have ranged magic attacks too. They also have a grab attack that can potentially kill you. You’ll need to prioritise dodging and blocking attacks, while dealing damage when you can. It’s better to take this fight slowly than rush to attack.
Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder
Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder, is the final boss of Dark Souls: Remastered. Together with Nito, Seath The Scaleless, and the Witch Of Izalith, Gwyn ended the Age Of Ancients by defeating all dragons.
Gwyn can be accessed by returning the two Lord Souls and two Lord Soul Shards to the Lordvessel at Firelink Altar, allowing you to venture to the Kiln Of The First Flame, where several Black Knights and Gwyn awaits.
Gwyn is aggressive and agile, and can deal fire damage. He rarely gives you time to heal, but you can use several obstacles within the boss arena for shelter, giving you precious time. Gwyn is resistant to faith and lightning damage, and performs general melee attacks. You’ll need to learn his moveset and be quick on your feet to defeat Gwyn, and once defeated, you can trigger one of the game’s two endings, immediately launching New Game+. We suggest you complete the DLC before taking on Gwyn.
Dark Souls Boss Order DLC
Sanctuary Guardian
Sanctuary Guardian is the first boss of the Dark Souls: Remastered DLC Artorias Of The Abyss. The manticore creature guards the entrance to Oolacile Sanctuary and performs several powerful attacks, most of which deal lightning damage.
The Sanctuary Guardian is incredibly fast and erratic, marking a change of pace from most of the main game Dark Souls: Remastered bosses. To defeat the Sanctuary Guardian, you’ll need to be quick on your feet and focus primarily on dodging his attacks and finding gaps to deal damage.
Like with Gwyn, you’ll need to learn his moveset to work out when to attack and avoid taking damage. If you manage to cut off the Sanctuary Guardian’s tail, you’ll receive the Guardian Tail weapon.
Knight Artorias
Knight Artorias, the Abysswalker is a boss from the Dark Souls DLC. Found in an arena in the Royal Wood, Artorias is incredibly aggressive and fast, dealing immense damage with his ground and ranged aerial attacks. Like with most bosses in the DLC, you’ll need to prioritise dodging Artorias’ attacks and finding gaps to deal damage.
Magic or other ranged attacks can be helpful during this fight. Artorias doesn’t have any major weaknesses, so don’t be afraid to take your time when fighting and make sure to learn each of his attacks – this will be the only way to defeat Knight Artorias successfully.
Kalameet
Black Dragon Kalameet is a dragon boss found in the Dark Souls: Remastered DLC. Kalameet can be found at the bottom of the Royal Wood in a deep valley just past Marvelous Chester.
To take on Kalameet, you must first speak with Hawkeye Gough after defeating Artorias and ask him to shoot Kalameet down. If you fail to do so, Kalameet will instantly kill you by breathing fire as you approach his boss arena.
During the fight, Kalameet will perform several melee and aerial attacks in addition to breathing fire. He can also perform the Mark Of Calamity in which you receive twice the amount of damage. The boss fight can be incredibly challenging due to Kalameet’s aggression. Armour and shields with high magic resistance are incredibly useful during this fight. Unfortunately, Kalameet is resistant to most elements, so you’ll need to once again rely on dodging and blocking attacks while finding opportune gaps to deal damage. If you manage to cut off Kalameet’s tail, you earn the Obsidian Greatsword.
Manus, Father Of The Abyss
Manus, Father Of The Abyss, is the final boss of the Dark Souls: Remastered DLC. One of the most difficult bosses within the game, Manus can be found in the Chasm Of The Abyss, and was the entity that pulled the player into the past and into the DLC in search of his lost Broken Pendant. Manus is incredibly aggressive and fast, and his physical and dark magic attacks can deal lots of damage.
Again, we’ll reiterate that patience is the key to defeating Manus, along with identifying each of his attack patterns. Manus will take several attempts but once defeated, you’ll have completed the Artorias Of The Abyss DLC.
Do I need to defeat all Dark Souls: Remastered bosses to complete the game?
Nope. Some Dark Souls: Remastered bosses are optional and others can be skipped entirely if you have the right key. However, we suggest you try and take on each boss as they provide you with much-needed Souls to continue levelling up and can unlock additional weapons and other side content.
What is the hardest boss in Dark Souls: Remastered?
Generally speaking, most players consider Kalameet, Manus, and Artorias of theArtorias Of The Abyss DLC to be the hardest bosses in Dark Souls. As we’ve pointed out several times, we suggest you take your time with these bosses and learn their movesets to defeat them.
What do I do with the Dark Souls boss souls?
Most boss souls in Dark Souls can be consumed to acquire a large number of souls or they can be used to create a specialised boss soul weapon.
