Key Takeaways
- Dark Souls world is fading with the First Flame, impacting races and civilizations.
- Demons in Dark Souls face extinction, with bosses like Taurus Demon representing their decline.
- Various demon bosses in the series offer challenging encounters, each with unique strategies for success.
FromSoftware’s seminal video game series, Dark Souls, is renowned for its deep lore and expansive world-building. The setting contains numerous races and peoples whose societies are slowly crumbling away. With the fading of the First Flame, the world is going dark and moving into a new age.
The demons of Dark Souls are a notable race that is suffering this slow fate. In the first game, players face off against numerous demons, showing that, while their race is diminished, they are still holding on. By Dark Souls 3, the demons are all but dead, with only a few still holding on. The demons are some of the most compelling bosses encountered and some of the toughest challenges in the series.
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10 Taurus Demon
An Early Dark Souls Test
- Appears In: Dark Souls
- Location: Undead Burg
- HP: 1,215
- Souls: 3,000
The Taurus Demon is one of the early bosses in the first Dark Souls game. Players will encounter the boss by going through the Undead Burg and climbing to the battlements. For players new to Dark Souls, this boss can be a challenge. There is little room to move during the fight, and players are forced to get up close.
However, for more experienced players, Taurus Demon offers little challenge. When entering the boss’s room, climb the ladder. After dispatching the two enemies at the top, perform a plunging attack on Taurus Demon that deals a high amount of damage. This can be repeated by leading the boss to the other side of the arena and then running back to the ladder. Even without this strategy, the Demon’s attacks are easily avoided, making Taurus Demon one of the easier bosses in the series.
9 Covetous Demon
A Deformed Gluttonous Monster
- Appears In: Dark Souls 2
- Location: Earthen Peak
- HP: 4,440
- Souls: 13,000
The Demons of Dark Souls 2 differ from the other games, as they are presented as corrupted people rather than a race unto themselves. The Covetous Demon is a being whose bloated, mutated form reflects the sins of the man it once was. Players will find this creature after navigating the poisonous mists of Harvest Valley and finding their way to Earthen Peak.
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At this stage in a playthrough, players will have faced tougher enemies than this one. Staying at the boss’s side is the best strategy for this encounter, watching for when it rolls or slams its tail. Most of its moves are well-telegraphed, giving players plenty of time to react.
8 Centipede Demon
A Dramatic but Disappointing Encounter
- Appears In: Dark Souls
- Location: Demon Ruins
- HP: 3,432
- Souls: 40,000
The Centipede Demon is found at the end of the Demon Ruins area, guarding the way to Lost Izalith. Set in a large cave filled with lava, the fight is right next to the entrance, making the large room rather pointless. The Centipede Demon is a unique demon enemy made from various other large centipedes, which can be dismembered if hit.
The enemy often uses ranged attacks, staying in the lava sections. This can make the battle frustrating for players with only a small area to stand on. Once the boss has closed the distance, the fight can be extra challenging, as the camera angle can obscure the player’s view. Luckily, the Centipede Demon has limited HP, making this boss fight a quick and painless encounter.
7 Stray Demon
Tough AOE Attacks
- Appears In: Dark Souls
- Location: Undead Asylum
- HP: 5,250
- Souls: 20,000
The Stray Demon is first seen at the beginning of Dark Souls through iron bars as the player progresses through the Undead Asylum area. However, players won’t be facing off against this enemy at this stage. If players return to the Undead Asylum, they will find the demon waiting below.
The Stray Demon is a tougher version of the Asylum Demon tutorial boss. Its attacks are almost identical, except for the AOE attacks that have a wide range and deal high damage. The Stray Demon can be difficult, as players will take damage as soon as they drop through the floor into the fight. Defeating this enemy rewards players with a nice amount of Souls and a valuable Titanite Slab.
6 Demon Firesage
A Familiar Encounter
- Appears In: Dark Souls
- Location: Demon Ruins
- HP: 5,950
- Souls: 20,000
The Demon Firesage is another Asylum Demon-type enemy, but a lot tougher. After players have defeated Ceaseless Discharge and lowered the lava, they will gain access to the Demon Ruins. At the end of this small area, players will find the boss, which resembles the Stray Demon in appearance and moveset.
While the enemy can be a tough challenge, few players will have an issue defeating the boss. The Demon Firesage is a mostly forgettable encounter in one of the weaker areas of the game. While it’s still a fun fight, there are far better challenges.
5 Demon of Song
A Monstrous Frog
- Appears In: Dark Souls 2
- Location: Shrine of Amana
- HP: 6,180
- Souls: 26,000
The Demon of Song is a colossal frog with a grotesque human face that emerges from its mouth with wild attacking arms. Players will find the boss at the end of the Shrine of Amana area, which can be extremely tough to get through for subsequent boss attempts.
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Players can only damage this enemy when its mouth is open. The best strategy is to keep some distance from its front, allow it to attack, then move in for some easy hits. Its leap attacks can be tricky to dodge, but most players should defeat this enemy with patience and well-timed attacks.
4 Capra Demon
A Frustrating Encounter
- Appears In: Dark Souls
- Location: Undead Burg
- HP: 1,176
- Souls: 6,000
The Capra Demon is one of the more notorious fights in Dark Souls. The boss itself is not too difficult to defeat; however, due to the ludicrously tiny arena and two undead dogs that join in the fight, players can die quickly upon entering the arena.
The best way to defeat this boss is to find space. By rolling past the enemies and climbing the stairs at the back, players can find a small ledge which will funnel the enemies, giving players a moment to breathe and kill the two dogs that relentlessly attack. After this, the Capra Demon is a simple one-on-one battle.
3 Old Demon King
An Ancient Dying Leader
- Appears In: Dark Souls 3
- Location: Smouldering Lake
- HP: 5301
- Souls: 25,000
While players will encounter several Demon field bosses during Dark Souls 3, the Old Demon King is the only major demon boss in the base game. This ancient leader waits in an arena filled with the bodies of his species. While this boss is at the end of his time, he can still hit with a lot of power.
The Old Demon King has effective AOE attacks. Up close, he can spew fire and slam with his large club, which can nearly one-shot players. While the fight is far from the toughest in Dark Souls 3, it is still a challenge, and one of the most memorable in the game. Once players have taken most of the boss’s health, the demon will perform one last AOE. After this, the Old Demon King no longer fights, as he is tired and at the end of his life. Players can then easily finish him off.
2 Smelter Demon
A Powerful Warrior of Iron
- Appears In: Dark Souls 2
- Location: Iron Keep
- HP: 5,970
- Souls: 32,000
One of the most notorious bosses in Dark Souls 2, the Smelter Demon, is a large monster made of metal that hits fast and hard. While this enemy is an optional fight, defeating it rewards players with the Smelter Demon Soul. This can be exchanged for the Smelter Sword, which is an excellent Ultra Greatsword.
The Smelter Demon is found in Iron Keep and, like many bosses in Dark Souls 2, has a frustrating runback from the nearest bonfire. Defeating the Smelter Demon can be tough due to its speed and heavy attacks. However, the boss is weak to poison and toxic mist, which will whittle down the enemy’s health.
1 Demon Prince
The Last of Its Kind
- Appears In: Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City DLC
- Location: Dreg Heap
- HP: 7045
- Souls: 100,000
Found at the end of the Dreg Heap, the Demon Prince is a challenging two-part battle that will test players of any skill level. Before facing the Demon Prince himself, players must first defeat the Demon in Pain and Demon from Below. These two will attack ferociously and fire poison mist at players.
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Once defeated, the final demon transforms into the larger Demon Prince, which will have different attacks, depending on the order in which the Demon in Pain and the Demon from Below are beaten. This is a tough battle, which takes time and patience to win, especially if playing solo. Using bleed attacks or Black Knight weapons will deal additional damage.
