Dark Souls games will always be widely acknowledged for their difficult gameplay and boss fights. Dark Souls 2's bosses have a great range in difficulty, some barely making you break a sweat, while others took weeks of attempts to finally beat.

Dark Souls games pull no punches with bosses, and they are the high point of each game. With so many bosses in this game, here is the list of the hardest ten bosses you'll have to fight in this game.

10 10/10 Ruin Sentinels

Ruin Sentinels Attacking Player

The Ruin Sentinel boss fight happens right before the first of the Old Ones you fight. This 3v1 fight is an instant power check to see if players can handle what this game has in store. The first Sentinel is able to be fought 1v1, but the remaining two must be fought together. Should the player be unlucky and get knocked off the first platform, all three sentinels will combo the player almost instantly.

While there are nearby summons available to help even the numbers, these Sentinels fighting together can combo any player to death almost instantly. Ruin Sentinels have very quick attack combos and allow little breathing room between combos. This fight requires quick reactions, and perfect timing to avoid one or multiple enemies.

9 9/10 Throne Watcher and Throne Defender

Player Facing Throne Defender

Any boss fight where you are outnumbered automatically makes the fight harder than others. A fight where you have to kill both bosses within a few seconds from one another is incredibly more difficult. Each of these enemies has very different mechanics and requires different strategies to beat them.

As this is the second to last boss of the base game, you'll need a very well-put-together build with multiple tricks up your sleeve in order to take these on at the same time. Dark Souls games are usually about picking a build and committing to it fully, so having a boss that requires you to have multiple attack types makes it much more difficult for a casual build.

8 8/10 Cerah, Varg, and Afflicted Graverobber

Graverobber, Varg, and Cerah Standing Ready

On the subject of multiple bosses with different styles, introducing the "gank squad". Unlike the Ruin Sentinels, this squad of bosses requires you to fight them all at the same time. These enemies are all player-sized, meaning they can backstab the player, and boy is that their goal.

While you're distracted with one, the other two's life's goal is to get to your back for the precious backstab. While you can summon them to level the playing field, the NPCs do not last long getting ganked themselves. This is a boss fight that can quickly turn players away from the DLC and back to the much easier base game.

7 7/10 Sir Alonne

Sir Alonne Standing Ready

Many Dark Souls bosses tend to be giants the player must fell, Sir Alonne flips that script. Being only slightly larger than the player, Sir Alonne is not only a quick-moving samurai but also has the ability to parry. Taking the most frustrating thing about PVP and putting it into a boss will definitely leave an impression on players.

Most of this boss's attacks revolve around his katana, making this a difficult yet thematic fight. Mixing punishing combos with quick transitions to the next makes it difficult to heal or use items during this fight, let alone get attacks in. Adding a large health pool to his limited windows for attacks makes this a drawn-out fight with little room for error.

6 6/10 Smelter Demon

Player Walking Towards Smelter Demon

What's worse than a giant iron golem with a sword? A giant iron golem with a sword that's on fire. Coming in with incredibly high defense, the smelter demon fight guarantees you'll have to be hitting him a lot up close and personal. At half health, this boss not only adds fire to his attacks but does constant fire AOE damage to anyone near him.

While this boss isn't fast, he hits hard and can most likely outlast you in a battle of attrition at your current level. Being an optional boss it's much easier to skip this fight and move on and forget he exists.

5 5/10 Dark Lurker

Dark Lurker Standing Over Player

Dark Souls bosses sometimes need a helpful NPC summons to tank some damage from the player. This can be a nicer safety net for many players, but take that net away and you have a terrifying 1v1. The Dark Lurker does require some work to unlock and eventually battle, but the work may not be worth what's at the end of the tunnel.

The Dark Lurker can turn invisible and avoid damage and teleport away from the player. In an already dark arena, simply knowing where and when to attack requires patience and timing. All this while the boss bombards the player with dark or soul magic.

4 4/10 Burnt Ivory King

Dark Souls games are no stranger to throwing the player in literal Hell to fight a boss. While the King is a relatively basic swordsman with high health and damage, the rest of the chaos is what makes this fight so difficult. It might be easier to think of this fight as a raid instead of a regular boss battle.

This boss is joined by an unending legion of knights that can easily overwhelm players. NPCs are available to help even the odds and close the portals that spawn enemies. Even then, taking your eyes off a boss can mean a quick death, which is very likely to happen on this battlefield of a fight.

3 3/10 Nashandra

Queen Nashandra Boss Fight Dark Souls 2

The final boss of the base game, a true nightmarish enemy with the strongest dark magic in the game. After finishing the Throne Watcher and Defender fight, this boss enters the arena behind the player and initiates the next fight immediately.

While many of her attacks can be avoided or resisted with the right items, her curse ability makes this fight require preparation. With the ability to quickly curse the player and lower their max HP, a plethora of human effigies are needed just to stay in this fight.

2 2/10 Elana, Squalid Queen

Elana, Sqalid Queen Standing in Boss Room

Baring many resemblances to Nasandra in both looks and attacks, Elana is clearly the upgrade. While she mostly uses dark magic, having a fire attack requires more diversification in resistance than her predecessor. Adding the ability to teleport, this boss is harder to keep your eye on.

While Elana would rather fight from a distance with spells, she can summon many enemies to help distract you. Be it a few skeletons or the former boss of the Undead Crypt, Velstadt. Mixing in her teleporting, this boss can easily distract a player and reposition herself for incredibly deadly combos.

1 1/10 Fume Knight

Fume Knight Igniting Blade

While many bosses need to outnumber a player to beat them, the fume knight simply uses a second sword. This boss is fast, has long reach, hits hard, and is very quick to close distance. Be prepared to not catch a breath from the second you enter this fight until one of you has dropped.

The Fume Knight has many attacks, and his wind-ups and tells for which attack is next can be very subtle and very quick. Not knowing what attack is next can make countering or dodging nearly impossible. Adding high defense, you'll be attempting this boss many times and will have many chances to learn his tells.