An Over-Analysis of FROM Software Boss Design: Dark Souls III

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  • čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
  • Ever since I played Dark Souls, I've wanted to toss my opinions in the great all-consuming void that is Dark Souls Video Essays - and now it's time for the cinematic finale of the Dark Souls Trilogy and all it's multi-phase encounters!
    This is the fourth part of a series going through all of FROM Software's bosses, analyzing what each of them attempt to do, how they attempt to do it, and how well they succeed (or how it is they fail).
    0:00:00 - Introduction
    0:00:41 - Iudex Gundyr
    0:03:33 - Vordt of the Boreal Valley
    0:06:23 - Curse Rotted Greatwood
    0:10:00 - Crystal Sage
    0:12:50 - Deacons of the Deep
    0:15:05 - Abyss Watchers
    0:19:37 - High Lord Wolnir
    0:21:43 - Old Demon King
    0:25:21 - Pontiff Sulyvahn
    0:28:27 - Aldrich, Devourer of Gods
    0:31:38 - Yhorm the Giant
    0:35:43 - Dancer of the Boreal Valley
    0:38:39 - Oceiros, the Consumed King
    0:41:25 - Champion Gundyr
    0:43:00 - Dragonslayer Armour
    0:45:04 - Lothric & Lorian
    0:48:07 - Ancient Wyvern
    0:50:48 - Nameless King
    0:55:44 - Champion's Gravetender & Greatwolf
    0:57:47 - Sister Friede & Father Ariandel
    1:02:42 - The Demon Prince
    1:08:36 - Halflight, Spear of the Church
    1:13:35 - Darkeater Midir
    1:17:10 - Slave Knight Gael
    1:22:10 - Soul of Cinder
    1:27:25 - Epilogue
    #darksouls #darksouls3 #bossfight #videoessay #eldenring

Komentáře • 388

  • @Timebomb_19
    @Timebomb_19 Před 2 měsíci +87

    Funny that you mention Siegward doesn’t respawn ‘because he isn’t an ashen one’ …because he actually is. After the first fight with the demon he says “we unkindled must put our duties first.” And yes, unkindled and ‘ashen ones’ are the same thing.

    • @blackbloom8552
      @blackbloom8552 Před 2 měsíci +2

      always felt weird that souls games dont have npc respawn despite them canonically being able to do so in most of their games.

    • @Timebomb_19
      @Timebomb_19 Před 2 měsíci +3

      @@blackbloom8552 it would probably be unnecessarily complex to sort out. You just assume that everyone either goes hollow or moves away after you kill them

    • @diogenessilviocemartins9019
      @diogenessilviocemartins9019 Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@@Timebomb_19 Also, in DS3 some Firelink NPCs do respawn out of necessity (you can't live without Andre, for instance). Needless to say, they aren't very happy with you when they come back.

  • @verdanteridium
    @verdanteridium Před 2 měsíci +76

    What's cool about the "I'm on fire now" phase 2, are the bosses are becoming Embered.
    Like you can with an Ember.
    Which means more for the Lords of Cinder, since they succeeded in linking the flame the state seems to be more than a health boost.

  • @molnet999
    @molnet999 Před 2 měsíci +97

    "you HAVE to fight gundyr!"
    let me introduce you to black firebombs

    • @EinSilverRose
      @EinSilverRose Před 2 měsíci +8

      Quick boss fight and an early chunk heck yeah

    • @KittensLeftFoot
      @KittensLeftFoot Před 2 měsíci

      ​@@EinSilverRoseearly chunk?

    • @Umezete
      @Umezete Před 2 měsíci +6

      @@KittensLeftFoot black firebomb trades for a chunk with the crows in the central hub

  • @pommedeter7407
    @pommedeter7407 Před 2 měsíci +112

    Beating champion Gundyr melee only no items no block no parry is still one of the coolest gaming experiences I’ve had

    • @ThommyofThenn
      @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci +4

      I didn't learn to parry until I was well into my second or third run. Perhaps ironic because my first character was a sword and shield. I got good at blocking but always found parry attempts too risky to be worth it. Especially when I learned I could stancebreak when two handing weapons on my second character. I like how multiple approaches are viable, you can absolutely beat the game without using any parry equipment

    • @heatrayzvideo3007
      @heatrayzvideo3007 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Good work

    • @heatrayzvideo3007
      @heatrayzvideo3007 Před 2 měsíci +9

      I've beat all souls bosses but I'm still terrible at the game, I just never give up

    • @ThommyofThenn
      @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci

      @@heatrayzvideo3007 thanks

    • @ThommyofThenn
      @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci +3

      @@heatrayzvideo3007 brute forcing is a legitimate strategy

  • @QuantumTelephone
    @QuantumTelephone Před 2 měsíci +152

    Jerma, trying to remember the name of the ds3 tutorial boss: " what is his name again? Jumex Bunger?"

  • @Jay-ys2cf
    @Jay-ys2cf Před 2 měsíci +35

    Oh boy oh boy, a new DS3 essay video to obsess over and fall asleep to? Yes.

    • @Oneforgettable
      @Oneforgettable Před 2 měsíci

      Literally about to play this as I go to sleep lol

  • @KnightAarant
    @KnightAarant Před 2 měsíci +59

    The thing I appreciate the most about your analysis is how you are very willing to talk about when bosses under perform in feeling fun to fight. How minor frustrations in design can lead to the overall experience being subpar. A lot of discussion surrounding the boss fights of this series has way too many people being blase about how certain attacks/collision can be annoying to play around and simply not enjoyable. Just saying oh it's a "skill issue", because too many people in the community are living vicariously through no-hit and other challenge runners despite being an average joe amongst the playerbase.
    I don't like using video analysis to sort of self-validate thoughts I have but yours constantly hits opinions I also share so it's hard not to. :U

    • @TheLastWanderingBard
      @TheLastWanderingBard Před 2 měsíci +17

      You know what's really ridiculous though? When those challenge runners happen to not think one of these games is perfect, they too get attacked with the same nonsense. There's a guy, I think his name is Nasu (apologies if I spelled that wrong), but he did the first level 1 no-hit run of Elden Ring, and because he had to learn all the bosses to such an extreme degree, he then did a review of them afterwards. Overall, he wasn't that impressed with a lot of them (I won't go through his criticisms here, but I think they were definitely accurate and have been echoed by others), and the FromSoft playerbase attacked him saying "skill issue" and "mad because bad" etc etc. They literally have no other defense and proper discussion with them is impossible.

    • @KnightAarant
      @KnightAarant Před 2 měsíci +12

      @tWanderingBard Yeah, and it's really a shame. The souls series are a great discussion topic because of how subtly in depth these games are. But the marketing for it has done irreparable damage to the sub-culture surrounding this game. Not to say that the sub-culture itself also isn't at fault for perpetuating a lot of nonsense.
      You'd think, the guy who learned these bosses to a degree to be able to fight them flawlessly would have the best outlook on reviewing them in detail. But here we are. People are way too obsessed with the funny phrase.

    • @jehyjehy9374
      @jehyjehy9374 Před 2 měsíci +2

      @@TheLastWanderingBard Just because he did a RL1 run doesn’t mean he’s automatically correct. I did one too and I found a lot of his criticisms to be straight up wrong. I hate the get gud argument, but he doesn’t even understand some of these bosses on a fundamental level, like the beast clergyman and Maliketh fight.

  • @monoclesquid9667
    @monoclesquid9667 Před 2 měsíci +23

    Wolnir is my Crystal Sage. Sometimes he’s easy, other times his RNG breaks bad and spams skeleton summons and forward charges until I’m pinned against the wall with 3-5 carthus greatsword knights.
    Also the greatwolf does have a second phase, where its eyes go red, its wind dash gains a third pass, and he gets more aggressive. Also pretty sure it doesn’t do its frost breath attack until then.

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +5

      I can see Wolnir's RNG getting wild.
      And rewatching my footage... I never put together anything changed. I just thought his damage got boosted!

  • @thatmythicalpilot5673
    @thatmythicalpilot5673 Před 2 měsíci +48

    CZcams algorithm please bless this man!

    • @ThommyofThenn
      @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci +2

      Yeah I appreciate when people add new thoughts but sometimes it's like they're reading off a card of "opinions" that everyone thinks already

    • @TifffanyTaylor
      @TifffanyTaylor Před 2 měsíci

      Yes bless him, but Don't bless him so hard that we have to listen to more VPN sponsors or raid shadow legends sponsorships god forbid.

  • @albertozalon8477
    @albertozalon8477 Před 2 měsíci +14

    Soul of cinder was truly a different experience the fight felt so personal like the game was talking to you, the player, for all the time you spent with it. Speaking to you about all your struggles. letting fight yourself, the you from all thoose years since the first game came out. And then when gywns theme hits and he shifts its something akin to the past its like over coming your own triumph in a way that lets you move on from it. The struggle is over.

  • @fakkmorradi
    @fakkmorradi Před 2 měsíci +6

    my fav ds3 memory is dodging the pontiff clone to parry the real one for a riposte win

    • @newwick
      @newwick Před měsícem

      That must've looked so cool!

  • @protomous
    @protomous Před 2 měsíci +26

    you're quickly becoming one of my favorite channels to watch, really hope to see you grow soon! this series is golden

  • @voidgivenfocus
    @voidgivenfocus Před 2 měsíci +311

    Mild take but DS3 was the peak of the series

    • @zefem
      @zefem Před 2 měsíci +38

      Homestly I'd put it right behind bloodborne and sekiro

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +75

      For me it's between DS3 and Sekiro - they're by far my favorite complete packages.

    • @carlossssssss5492
      @carlossssssss5492 Před 2 měsíci +6

      The series as in the trilogy?

    • @TeeV479
      @TeeV479 Před 2 měsíci +24

      ​​​@@TheAkasharose personally i'd say
      1:BB
      2:DaS2
      3:DaS3
      4:ER
      5:DaS1 (first half and dlcs carry it, of course)
      6:Sekiro
      7:Ds2 SoTFS
      havent played DeS yet

    • @voidgivenfocus
      @voidgivenfocus Před 2 měsíci +14

      @@carlossssssss5492 yeh, Sekiro is my favourite from game period

  • @jaydeejay4166
    @jaydeejay4166 Před 2 měsíci +8

    just a note on yhorm:
    his arms and head take much more damage and cause him to stagger
    during his stagger you do thousands of damage to his head
    this makes his fight much more bearable and engaging as you try to line up opportunities to hit his hand

  • @kag2576
    @kag2576 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Just came to say, I absolutely adore your boss analysis, I've practically binged the entire set. I just love how you've taken the time to think about each boss in a deeper way and your clarification of your preferences helps a lot, I feel like there are a lot of fights I've grown to appreciate far more, whether I liked them a lot or not. I am very curious about the opinions you hold for the future games from here, but I can wait patiently for such fantastic content!

  • @JoeyWoeyUwU
    @JoeyWoeyUwU Před 2 měsíci +13

    Oh holy shit man these vids are SO GOOD i'm so hyped for yet another lets goooo

  • @KittensLeftFoot
    @KittensLeftFoot Před 2 měsíci +1

    Jumping to the latest video to say WOW
    I so enjoyed your boss breakdowns, and agree with many of them.
    Keep up the amazing work, it's great to see new names in the Souls yt community.

  • @johnnyd.1004
    @johnnyd.1004 Před 2 měsíci +3

    I agree with you on the timing of Lorian's teleports. First time I went up against him, I had nothing but Artorias' gear and high hopes. Got vibe-checked a couple hundred times. Then, I realized that his attacks are perfectly in time with the Macarena, and it took five attempts because I also timed all my moves with the Macarena. Funniest thing ever, I tell you.

  • @willh9104
    @willh9104 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Was waiting for this vid man!! As usual you knocked it out of the park.

  • @melissazadrozny5167
    @melissazadrozny5167 Před 5 dny

    This is a solid analysis and your channel is definitely underrated

  • @cellsentinel239
    @cellsentinel239 Před 2 měsíci +13

    Tbh I stumbled upon your bloodborne video and then suddenly was wondering wish he had a ds3 video so I could watch that too and here it is

  • @maxwellharris1434
    @maxwellharris1434 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Loving the thoughtful, entertaining analysis-making me want to replay these for the 30th time

  • @FRealw27026
    @FRealw27026 Před 27 dny +2

    Finally, a fellow Old Demon King appreciator

  • @MaeIsOkay
    @MaeIsOkay Před 2 měsíci +1

    I've been watching all these souls game boss analysis videos, they've been great. I was happy to see you comment on the ds3 protagonist getting into a lot of fights because they try to touch something, it is pretty funny. One of my earliest souls memories is someone describing them as "Ashen One, Toucher of Things"

  • @camocow666
    @camocow666 Před 2 měsíci +2

    These videos are great, I hope you get more recognition!

  • @WryngGames
    @WryngGames Před 2 měsíci +1

    god, I love this game!
    finally got time to watch this, and you didn't disappoint
    so glad i could find someone to agree on the crystal sage

  • @sirmicothesilly
    @sirmicothesilly Před 2 měsíci +1

    I love your energy and passion, wishing you many more subs

  • @KittensLeftFoot
    @KittensLeftFoot Před 2 měsíci

    Another Vordt Greathammer enjoyer! Kudos
    I gotta say, you are the first person besides me claiming CrystalSage is a difficult boss. Even after couple tens of full playthroughs I'm still usually losing once or twice against him on any NG+0 run.
    Amazing video as always, thanks a million for that!

  • @prototype_-
    @prototype_- Před měsícem

    Rarely do I ever watch 1hr+ videos but this was a great watch!

  • @117Arkantos
    @117Arkantos Před 2 měsíci +1

    What a fantastic video. Very happy I found this channel. Especially when I saw you have a AP of the single best ttrpg system out today, P2e

  • @nooberus9241
    @nooberus9241 Před 2 měsíci

    Quality content and a list I almost completely agree with. Good stuff!

  • @tylertwinkletips1745
    @tylertwinkletips1745 Před 2 měsíci +4

    Your character's face, lord have mercy

  • @softwet2727
    @softwet2727 Před 2 měsíci

    I just got into this video series a day ago, this is just perfect for me!

  • @silvereyz1836
    @silvereyz1836 Před 2 měsíci

    These vids are fire you deserve more subscribers

  • @CyckOne
    @CyckOne Před 2 měsíci +2

    Great video, great series and I’m hoping you do analysis on bosses in series outside of Soulsborne!
    I do wish you would put up timestamps for each boss to make finding specific ones much easier, but that aside I loved this!

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +1

      Timestamps are actually limited to 1000 Subscribers - so I'm actually really close to being able to do that!
      And 100% - I'm already planning on doing Hollow Knight & Death's Door, and I want to finish Lies of P and make a Vid on that soon!

    • @CyckOne
      @CyckOne Před 2 měsíci +1

      ⁠@@TheAkasharosewelp, looks like; as of the time of this message posting, you are a good 70 subs passed your requirement for timestamps! Congrats and can’t wait to see your content moving forward! 🤘🏾

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@CyckOne I just finished Dark Souls - I'm hoping to have the other timestamps up by this weekend and post further videos with them up and active as we go now!

  • @MightyNumpty
    @MightyNumpty Před 2 měsíci +2

    Oh boy, been waiting for this one

  • @imsollitto
    @imsollitto Před měsícem +1

    Amazing vid! Really agree with most bosses. Surprised me with the sage take tho.
    My strategy to cheese the sage's 2nd fase, is throwing any type of projectile to the copies (throwing knives for example). If I'm not wrong they insta die with any hit, making it only a few spells coming at you.

  • @Shwizzynet
    @Shwizzynet Před dnem +1

    Anyone complaining about Ariandel being a short dlc must not have been factoring in the amount of time they spent on Sister Friede.

  • @JuliusCaesar103
    @JuliusCaesar103 Před měsícem

    I'm glad you share my excitement about the bisses in the game, but that's to be expected. And if Midir is THE dragon fight for you in gaming, then check out Dragon's Dogma for Grigori. Haven't gotten to him yet on the sequel so I can only speak for the first game, trust me, you'll love it.

  • @trishagilbert8571
    @trishagilbert8571 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Hell yes, so excited for your ds3 takes

  • @GoldenXShark22
    @GoldenXShark22 Před 2 měsíci +4

    fantastic video like the rest!
    but I must say I was very surprised the Nameless King got 0 mention of his story, it's one of the highlights of the whole game for me.
    I can forgive new players for glancing over the nameless King's identity if they haven't dug into the lore, but if you're familiar with the first game it should at least be familiar.
    but no mention at all? I find that a bit confusing, that alone easily makes it an S rank fight. but hey your list! and I'm enjoying it a lot.

  • @SRANK23
    @SRANK23 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Dragonslayer Armour catching people off guard with the fake stagger before Lies of P did it 😮

  • @edwartvonfectonia4362
    @edwartvonfectonia4362 Před 2 měsíci +3

    I remember thinking DS3 is Bandai being greedy and wanting something magical to happen. And yet I've grinded until platinum, and in retrospect it has several wonderful boss designs and a great conclusion to Dark Souls series. Great analysis on Bloodborne, glad you've continued.

  • @Nilon241
    @Nilon241 Před 2 měsíci

    1:27:18 one of my favourite little details there is that the soul of cinder looks directly at the player as it dies.

  • @traderjoes7976
    @traderjoes7976 Před 2 měsíci

    I’m so hyped for this vid

  • @Charsept
    @Charsept Před 2 měsíci +1

    I've probably beaten this game 40 times. One of my all time favorites

  • @kenzhie3d
    @kenzhie3d Před 2 měsíci +1

    Great video! Looking forward to the elden ring one eventually

  • @olegkuvsincikov8817
    @olegkuvsincikov8817 Před 2 měsíci +1

    One thing i think would be interesting is so to look at the unique bosses added by the Convergence Mod. It's very interesting how the mod changes boss locations are straight up makes new bosses to make up for the games flaws.

  • @zachtaylor5312
    @zachtaylor5312 Před 2 měsíci +3

    DS3 has the best boss design and mechanics in the entire series. Easily, by far.

  • @backwardslongjump
    @backwardslongjump Před 2 měsíci +1

    1.5 hour analysis of a fromsoft game?
    you spoil us.
    great vid

  • @poomar
    @poomar Před 2 měsíci

    I love this game so much. Big agree with you on Yhorm. On my last playthrough I killed the dancer as 2nd boss and your STILL get teleported after the 3rd lord. Thankfully, I didn't do Yhorm last so I got to finish Siegward's quest properly

  • @kaydenbeevers8285
    @kaydenbeevers8285 Před 2 měsíci

    Soul of Cinder is 100% my favorite fight ever thematically the idea of not only fighting yourself but everyone else and all the previous bosses in one I like that the fight is so straightforward it feels so personal and poetic

  • @MessedUpSystem
    @MessedUpSystem Před 2 měsíci +2

    My favorite concept from Dark Souls III was without a doubt in the second DLC where another player is the boss, it was so cool to be the boss and fight other players trying to progress

    • @DionPanday
      @DionPanday Před 2 měsíci

      You do know this happened before right?

    • @MessedUpSystem
      @MessedUpSystem Před 2 měsíci

      @@DionPanday uuh no? Should I?

    • @DionPanday
      @DionPanday Před 2 měsíci

      @@MessedUpSystem yes it was litteraly what put souls games on the map

    • @MessedUpSystem
      @MessedUpSystem Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@@DionPanday that is a stupid logic lmao. But no I didn't know that a precursor of the Souls series did that concept earlier, and it doesn't matter because my point is that I loved that in the game, not that Dark Souls 3 invented the concept. Wheter or not Dark Souls 3 invented it is irrelevant for my enjoying of that part, and I'm not a Souls Series historian to need to know everything about the series and what led to it, I'm just someone who enjoys the games and have more to do with my life than knowing everything about it

    • @DionPanday
      @DionPanday Před 2 měsíci

      @@MessedUpSystem then why are you even here if you have better things to do?

  • @ungabungacaveman9021
    @ungabungacaveman9021 Před 2 měsíci +2

    I love dark souls 3, probably my favorite game of all time. The lore, the call backs to the original (even if everyone writes them off as fan service.) the bosses. I love bloodborne and elden ring but DS3 is what got me really hooked on the series.

  • @nuggs4snuggs516
    @nuggs4snuggs516 Před měsícem

    18:50 I missed the Sages at first on my first playthrough, so I got all the way to the bridge to Irithyll before doing them. The Abyss Watchers quickly became my favorite boss, and I was a little disappointed on subsequent playthroughs with how easy they became after doing the Cathedral first.

  • @flannelshirtenthusiast4159

    One interesting thing about the Abyss Watchers is that if you lure the two nearby Darkwraiths toward the arena the boss will try to attack them through the fog wall, I once had a Darkwraith glitch into the arena and briefly help with the fight. Apparently their AI is built to recognize and prioritize eachother as enemies

  • @jsahang4019
    @jsahang4019 Před 2 měsíci +5

    found you from your bloodborne video, staying for everything else

  • @kiyazaki1668
    @kiyazaki1668 Před 2 měsíci

    i like these videos coz i agree with most of the rankings but each list has at least 1 ranking that makes me physically shake with anger which is kinda fun, gd stuff bud

  • @ginosletsplays4047
    @ginosletsplays4047 Před měsícem +1

    Great video and analysis! Can’t wait for the ELDEN RING VIDEO let’s goooooo

  • @Lizzieaftermidnight
    @Lizzieaftermidnight Před 2 měsíci +1

    Was looking forward to this vid since Ds3 is my fave of the series, will there be an Elden ring video?👀

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +2

      There will! I'm editing a Sekiro video right now, and just finished scripting a Demon's Souls. After I hit both of those, I'll dive into the beast that is Elden Ring!

  • @biomegamechdude
    @biomegamechdude Před 4 dny +1

    fun lore facts, the demon prince fight takes place in ds1 firelink shrine. Midir takes place in the "rise of the lords" in the ds1 custscene when all the would be gods claim their lord souls and rise into existance. Some opinions on the bosses you said were bad, halflight... his damage i am pretty sure is BEYOND what a player can do with frayed blade.. the dark dmg on it is minor and the bleed does not matter cause i have never died to the bleed from him EVER on any build. It's always his katana laser that offs me if not his r1 SPAM. Now of the bosses i have EVER done without being hit are judge and champion gundyr,gael,cinder,dragonslayer armour,old demon king,aldrich,dancer cause.. bleed or magic build super EZ,wolnir,lothric,nameless. Every other boss has hit me at least once on every build and every run nearly. One last fun fact, cinder can PARRY you, i think its in his pyro phase. Anyway, i am loving these dissection vids on these games so souls or not i hope to see more from you.

  • @paintbomb2907
    @paintbomb2907 Před 2 měsíci +3

    Damn, you have (so far, surely that'll change)

  • @GDMecex_YT
    @GDMecex_YT Před 2 měsíci

    Ey, love the videos! Could you do 60fps if possible for the next? Binge watched all today but watching was kinda painful at low bitrate 720p. Thanks! Amazing videos tho, really good points

  • @AdrianMRyan
    @AdrianMRyan Před 2 měsíci +1

    I am playing DS3 for the first time ever right now, and also fought the Abyss Watchers 3rd. I just went straight! Then they were the next ones in my way.

  • @kingjohn8980
    @kingjohn8980 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Would you consider making an analysis of the Convergence mod bosses for DS3?

  • @GILGAMESH069
    @GILGAMESH069 Před 2 měsíci

    Champion gundyr became over time my favorite boss from the base game, he dosen't look like anything special at first especially on regular new game where you can sometimes cut the fight short but on higher cycles he starts to really shine
    The 2 main things that sets him apart from the other fights are pacing and style
    His more physical and almost wrestling like moves are really unexpected from a knight type boss, the shoulder bashes and kicks also mean you have to keep consistent eye on his left hand and leg because he can combo these moves with any number of other moves which helps make him more dynamic and less predictable
    The pacing of the fight is what really elevates it tho because while other fights give you clear windows of attack gundyr can combo chain his attacks almost endlessly which gives the illusion that he never stops attacking sometimes however here's the trick, he chain those combos with a slight delay which allows you to punish him mid combo which if mastered will make the fight incredibly fast paced, this combined with his wrestling style creates the most fun dance for me in the game outside some dlc bosses
    I also want to highlight his ultra high tracking charge attack because I think it's really brilliant how many ways there to counter this one attack, if you're close the best way is to roll the initial roar and circle around him, if you're in a medium range the best way is to dodge into him in particular timing then dodge into him again to avoid the follow up (hardest and fanciest dodge in the game imo) or if you're far away you space out the initial charge by walking backwards then dodging into him for the follow up, I highlight this because this move is either over looked or harshly criticized for how unfair it might seem on the surface

  • @misterdedlift4879
    @misterdedlift4879 Před měsícem

    Having to play DS games sound like shoving hot needles under your fingernails so I really enjoy these well-made videos that give us the good parts. Thanks!

  • @NaitorYT
    @NaitorYT Před 6 dny

    What saves Iudex Gundyr's second phase for me is that the first phase teaches you that when you roll you really are impervious to any attack, so for phase 2 all you have to do is dodge. Don't overthink it

  • @MrPangahas
    @MrPangahas Před 2 měsíci +1

    I wish they dynamically adjust the camera distance farther away based on the boss size.

  • @fable23
    @fable23 Před 2 měsíci +2

    On my first play through, I was so frustrated with Midir that I wound up cheesing him with mist. I just couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do, or when I was supposed to do it. It wasn't until my third playthrough (I skipped him on my second) that it finally clicked for me; Midir doesn't have moves, he has _strings._ There are exceptions like various breath attacks, but most of Midir's attacks throughout the fight link into each other in a set sequence. He has multiple sequences, but those sequences never change, and they all end with a pronounced period of vulnerability where his head is within reach. You can tell from his first claw swipe or bite what his next six or seven attacks will be, always coming with the exact same rhythm and ending with a nice long pause where his head is defenseless and very within reach. And once I understood this, Midir went from my least favorite boss, one I was so frustrated with I almost deleted the game out of pure spite, to my favorite boss, one I looked forward to on every playthrough, a battle I knew like a dance with an old friend. I'll always remember him for that

  • @blaze595
    @blaze595 Před 12 dny

    18:34 Your wife is right; because the scenario you described for fighting it early as being unlikely is exactly what I did on my first playthrough 😅 granted i had played other souls games, so while it did seem like a difficulty spike it wasn’t TOO bad for me.
    EDIT: also didn’t even realise about Wolnir’s mist mechanic, since he went down so fast…

  • @errantvice7335
    @errantvice7335 Před 2 měsíci +1

    Oh! So for crystal sage, he’s a guy! The one in Lothric Archives is the female one (she has visible hair while the farron one is bald), they’re like a brother-sister duo that serves the undead legion, and are possibly the reason why Seath is omitted from the trial of the legion (the flame extinguishing we do, behind the bowls (which are meant to symbolize the lord vessel) are depictions of Nito, Izalith, and the Four Kings) as Seath is like; the sorcerer’s God
    And their crystal ball is actually a big prism stone!

  • @thrxshx
    @thrxshx Před měsícem

    Ancient Wyvern is cool. It’s a spectacle encounter. If it didn’t have a boss health bar, people would probably see it for what it is: an epic interactive cutscene.

  • @Unemployed_CEO
    @Unemployed_CEO Před měsícem

    Would you do a vid on the best fromsoft boss designs across soulsborne and sekiro?

  • @waltersullivan2727
    @waltersullivan2727 Před 2 měsíci

    Found the camera of king of the storm not so bad. If you stay a decent distance close but periodically locking on and off.

  • @mrbluesly4377
    @mrbluesly4377 Před 2 měsíci

    I played DS3 for the first time in the last year. I previously played DS1 & 2 as well as Bloodborne and I think I’m pretty decent at souls games. Crystal Sage was the only boss that made me quit and come back the next day. It’s pretty validating to hear you call it difficult because I felt so silly getting stuck on him.

  • @axoliminator
    @axoliminator Před 2 měsíci +1

    Very curious to hear your opinion on elden ring bosses

  • @SerratedSkies
    @SerratedSkies Před 2 měsíci +1

    I'm somewhat surprised about Aldrich. I agree with everything except not mentioning the way his second phase bow attack is kind of a mess. It's a great concept, objectively, but the fact he can do it repeatedly and without any clear trigger makes it go from what could be the ultimate "get off me" punish to a flatly oppressive and annoying "stop fighting for 10 seconds" spam. It detracts from my enjoyment to the point I think it takes him from an A, maybe S tier boss to a C or low B.

  • @corbsofthewest7824
    @corbsofthewest7824 Před 2 měsíci

    Dark souls 3 has some of the only bosses I want to fight over again, not because of complexity (even though that is a case for a lot of them), but purely because of style and atmosphere of them. When I first fought the dancer, I won on my second try and I was kinda let down because of how hard everyone said it was but I was so entertained by just the feel of the boss.

  • @Xanderj89
    @Xanderj89 Před 2 měsíci

    I had so much trouble with the sages that I developed my own strategy, I just stocked up on throwing knives since I noticed the clones all died in a hit so I could now take them all out at a distance quickly with an item. I the spent days helping people beat them because I had struggled for so long.

  • @ToastUrbath
    @ToastUrbath Před měsícem +1

    roughly 300 hour in DS3 and I'm only just now learning Deacons has an instant kill move that allegedly adds urgency to the end of the fight. I've never died to them, not even on my SL1 run

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před měsícem +1

      The only run I ran into it with was Pyromancy only. They have a ton of fire resistance, and it caught me really off-guard.

  • @superscatmonkey6742
    @superscatmonkey6742 Před 2 měsíci

    great breakdown as usual just missing an S rank for midir's soundtrack alone (can't wait for sekiro)

  • @pcrig
    @pcrig Před měsícem

    One thing you didn't mention in the Halflight fight is that the host can summon too. Which makes the fight extremely unbalanced, but the other way around. They have one player available to focus on each enemy, and when the painting guardians are down, it becomes a 3v1. If the team is well prepared and came with a balanced setup including one mage, there's very little you can do as Halflight. In normal invasions the invader has the other enemies and element of surprise to help them. In this fight, you just get ganked as the painting guardian is usually dead by the time you spawn.

  • @atzeON
    @atzeON Před 2 měsíci +1

    Finally the best game in the series and the one that made me fall in love with the genre. Nothing compares to the way this game teaches you and wants you to beat it. From dying to Iudex many times to beating Gael on my first try. Im not trying to flex, all im saying is that when you accept that (almost) everything this game throws at you is fair and manageable, you are able to beat it no matter what it expects from you (Maybe not Midir because he made me his bitch for a few days, but I kept going and learned his every move which lead to finally beating him). I honestly think that this game is a masterpiece and has the best roster of fights in the series.

  • @Rokkettdog
    @Rokkettdog Před 2 měsíci

    Not that it would change anything, but did you know the cursewood has a rare attack where it stands up , walks a few steps toward you then falls and tries to face plant on you lol its great with massive intimidation and comedy.

  • @rojacol4306
    @rojacol4306 Před 2 měsíci

    For around 1:08:00 actually there is one fight in elden ring that actually did the demon prince's first phase almost 1:1 imo. The twin gargoyles. One stands back and spews poison at you and the other attacks head on. Though with twin gargoyles they actually have the poison deal actual damage and stack poison.

    • @rigorm136
      @rigorm136 Před 2 měsíci +1

      Don’t you dare compare that piece of GARBAGE to the demon prince. Their poison isn’t even telegraphed well enough to warrant comparison, the color of their arena obscures it and there’s no sound cue

  • @dretadel
    @dretadel Před 2 měsíci +2

    Crystal Sage drove me insane until I figured out that Throwing Knives delete the clones in seconds from basically anywhere in the arena, and they're hella cheap.
    Also, I recently finished my first DS3 SL1 run and Halflight was definitely the hardest, ended up cheesing him with a crossbow.

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci

      Profaned Greatsword was my best counter. Halflight is just a nightmare at that low level point.

  • @waltersullivan2727
    @waltersullivan2727 Před 2 měsíci

    34:41 I could swear that doesn’t happen. I strongly remember being able to talk with him and he says bye. The moment he tells you bye then the cutscene comes in.

  • @hapmaplapflapgap
    @hapmaplapflapgap Před 2 měsíci

    I always assumed Vordt's behind weakness was an intensional choice by fromsoft to help players understand how much of a role positioning played. Iudex can be defeated easily by only standing in front of him, rolling his glave (and standing far enough to avoid punches), but tail hugging is a tried and true strategy in dark souls that will continue to play a role even against bosses and enemies that do have moves that respond to it.

  • @ThommyofThenn
    @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci +2

    Id also like to aknowledge how amazing the OST of DS3 Is. I know most people hate the CRG and there are some legitimate criticisms there. But that boss music is PERFECT and some peak Dark Souls in terms of atmosphere. I submit Crystal Sage as another kinda flawed boss with outstandingly creepy music

    • @TheAkasharose
      @TheAkasharose  Před 2 měsíci +1

      That Pontiff intro music? Absolutely perfect. And yeah - Crystal Sage has some incredible music, such an incredible atmospheric track.

    • @ThommyofThenn
      @ThommyofThenn Před 2 měsíci

      @@TheAkasharose Pontiff is a great track also. I love the harpsichord in Crystal Sage's music, it almost reminds me of an acoustic guitar! Then it kicks in with the strings usually when Sage has the arena covered in those eerie crystals. The mix of visuals and music make it a great fight in those regards. But yeah I tend to frown on any boss that relies on 'clones' like that

  • @happykilljoyproductions
    @happykilljoyproductions Před 2 měsíci +1

    ROYAL RAT VANGUARD SHOUT OUT!!! WE UP RAT GANG!

  • @razavierdavis
    @razavierdavis Před měsícem +1

    I remember playing Darksouls 3 for the first time when I was a kid and it took about 2 days to bet Gundyr. I felt unbeatable when I finally beat him😂

  • @thecondescendinggoomba5552
    @thecondescendinggoomba5552 Před 2 měsíci

    Great channel

  • @heatrayzvideo3007
    @heatrayzvideo3007 Před 2 měsíci +2

    I think Ds1 is the best for lore and atmosphere. Ds3 is also fantastic. Ds2 exists and is a video game.

  • @Laezar1
    @Laezar1 Před 2 měsíci

    What I find funny with the demon prince is that I've seen people confidently say "this attack is easier to avoid than the other" for both attack which makes me think it's really a matter of preference. which is pretty neat

  • @Snack1118
    @Snack1118 Před 2 měsíci +1

    My favorite game of all time 🙏

    • @TifffanyTaylor
      @TifffanyTaylor Před 2 měsíci +1

      Replaying this past week & Realizing it really is that good. I'm gonna get the eclipse at the end as a tattoo with the sun/moon bleeding down through the sky.

  • @Umezete
    @Umezete Před 2 měsíci

    FINALLLY I THOUGHT I WAS TAKING CRAZY PILLS.
    Crystal Sage is one of the hardest bosses in this game for me, prob usually cause I'm low damage and hp but still.

  • @Surri808
    @Surri808 Před 2 měsíci +2

    Day saved.

  • @eddieford9373
    @eddieford9373 Před 2 měsíci +1

    I'm still on DS2. I'll catch up soon though.

  • @bovinejonie3745
    @bovinejonie3745 Před 2 měsíci +2

    If YT were a Stock Exchange, I’d be dumping money into your channel right now. I look forward to watching your subscriber count skyrocket.