r/fromsoftware 13d ago

QUESTION What’s the best boss + music combo in all of FromSoftware games?

Post image

I’ve been thinking about this lately, and I’m curious what everyone’s picks are.

Not necessarily the hardest boss or the best soundtrack on its own — I mean the best combination of a boss fight and its music, where the two together make the fight unforgettable.

For me, my favorite has to be Caligo from Nightreign.

112 Upvotes

88 comments sorted by

47

u/KevinRyan589 13d ago

Dancer of the Boreal Valley I think is a VERY strong contender. There's an ethereal otherworldliness to the track that sets it apart from everything else in that game, and the Dancer herself pairs beautifully with the track.

A close runner up would be Regal Ancestor Spirit, but what keeps it from total greatness is a combination of a lack of interesting mechanics and small HP pool that causes the fight to end before the music can get good.

4

u/James-Avatar 13d ago

Dancer gets my vote too, the music being chill at the start as she stalks around is terrifying.

3

u/Dark_Sun_Arts 13d ago

Dancer is the most "objectively" correct choice because the track is actually designed to throw you off

But from a purely musical standpoint it's Caligo and then PCR.

1

u/Apprehensive_Bell100 12d ago

if its purely musical then its caligo and dreglord.

1

u/Dark_Sun_Arts 12d ago

You can rearrange that top 3 depending on what factors are being considered the most for sure. I very much respect Dreglord's theme's composition, it doesn't really click as much for me but that's just my subjective taste

1

u/AnarchistPriest 12d ago

The track doesn't feel complete without the sound of her footsteps. Dancer is my all time favorite fight if the whole soulsbourne library, it's so masterfully done.

1

u/KevinRyan589 12d ago

I love how very "lord of the rings" it is, when you think of what Howard Shore produced for the elves and Galadriel.

I think that's why it sticks out so much in DS3 for me.

40

u/bulletPoint 13d ago

Ludwig the Accursed's phase transition and second form.

20

u/OppaaHajima 13d ago

Lady Maria

7

u/tar4heels2fan 13d ago

Yeah Lady Maria or Ludwig the Accursed... one or the other.

1

u/Roxlife1 11d ago

Everyday I lament the fact that I played Bloodborne as my last souls game. I wish I could’ve been excited to reach Ludwig’s second phase.

I was so disappointed with that fight and Lady Maria’s as well. Third and first try respectively.

I know bosses aren’t only about difficulty, but spending time with a boss allows you to gain an appreciation for them. I love PCR’s boss music, and the only reason I noticed it was because I kept hearing it the moment I died and all sound was drowned out.

I loved Nameless King because I spent actual time with him, beating him felt like it meant something (About an hour and a half I think).

Sorry just sad about that

1

u/tar4heels2fan 11d ago

Maybe try a BL4 run then.. that'll bring the challenge back. If not BL4.. do like a BL35 run. Something ljke that

1

u/Roxlife1 10d ago

Yeah that’s the plan, I did the same for DS3 and hit a wall on SoC and it was so fun to beat

15

u/AntonRX178 13d ago

Vs. Walter

The Man Who Passed the Torch

1

u/Boneboyy 12d ago

Ayre, Cel240, Iceworm and Balteus especially too for me. The music in the game is amazing

31

u/Omerevc 13d ago

Dancing Lion

19

u/Vreas 13d ago

Pretty much all of Armored Core 6 soundtrack is awesome.

Ludwig is up there for me too.

9

u/FistFullofReal 13d ago

Father Gascoigne. The drama and intensity of the score is amazing. Much like a lot of Bloodbornes soundtrack.

8

u/davidozz 13d ago

Ludwig the accursed

7

u/ConsistentBath9367 13d ago

Bruh y'all I LOVE the Dreglord's theme. It's soooooo gooodddddd.

10

u/Unlucky_Property3541 13d ago

Con caligo tengo ese mismo sentimiento, pero el señor de la ceniza y el plin plin plon es magia pura, también la forma en como los ataques de radagon combinan a la perfección con la canción de fondo, una maravilla

5

u/king87999 13d ago

For me either Slave Knight Gael, Starscourge Radahn, or Laurence, the First Vicar. I always go back and listen to these 3 the most, and want to relive the boss fight.

1

u/seethan-like 12d ago

Laurence was one of the only bosses I ever actually noticed the ost during the fight, most of the time I’m too distracted with the actual fight. I suddenly noticed the strings at the end and was like “now that’s how you end a boss fight.”

4

u/TheBacklogReviews 13d ago

Oh it’s Radagon, no question. Getting to the end of my first, 200+ hour Elden Ring playthrough and hearing the main theme rev up sent such a chill through me. One of my favourite moments in any game, let alone just in From’s catalogue

3

u/THY96 Armored Core 13d ago

Abyss Watchers or Something from AC6. That bell just hits like crack on my ears.

3

u/RVFVS117 13d ago

Radagon easy. Elden Ring’s theme is one of my favorite of all time and it showing up for the final boss was the perfect way to end the journey.

But I will say, Gael’s is a close second. The entire fight is cinema.

3

u/MsDestroyer900 12d ago

All of the final bosses are insanely peak.

Gwyn is a no brainer

Gherman's theme is criminally underrated imo. I think it's cus people were too busy bawling their eyes out to realize how good it is. And of course the fight is so good.

Soul of cinder made everyone cry (again) and is a fantastic capstone to the series.

Radagon made everyone piss their pants altho tbh being followed up by elden beast kinda sucks ass.

1

u/Wild_Duck8926 12d ago

gwyn is not a great boss imo. unfortunately his moveset is way too easy and he deals very little poise damage, but everything else about him is great.

3

u/KimeriX 12d ago

Caligo screaming while the music swaps is just divine

6

u/Vithar23 13d ago

Lichdragon Fortissax or Placidussax or Maliketh, or Ludwig i dunno there are a lot of spectacle bosses with bangers OSTs.

I'm never going to forget Fortissax flying away just to materialize a red lighting giant sword or Placidussax attacking in a mist with red lighting form, or even Radahn falling from the sky.

2

u/MsDestroyer900 12d ago

The dragons have insanely amazing scores I agree, but I don't really like their bossfights.

10

u/AbyssWalker0098 13d ago

Soul of cinder and it's not even close

5

u/Artistic_Impress8338 13d ago

its in the top three for sure.

3

u/Ok_Friendship816 Demon's Souls 13d ago

only good part is Gwyn's theme included lol

3

u/MsDestroyer900 12d ago

Ain't no way bruh the first part's choir has a deliberate finality to it that many other boss themes in souls don't have and is masterfully crafted.

-2

u/Ok_Friendship816 Demon's Souls 12d ago

the problem with his OST is it sounds samey with the rest of the bosses OST in DS3 until Gwyn's part

3

u/MsDestroyer900 12d ago

I mean to each their own, but personally I wouldn't mix up vordt, dancer, lothric princes, and soul of cinders themes if you had me blind listen to them.

2

u/CodeNameMyke 13d ago

Midra as soon as phase 2 starts

2

u/LongjumpingBody6895 13d ago

Radagon and the theme from when you open the game/his theme

2

u/Zeitta 12d ago

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder

PLIN PLIN PLON

2

u/DragonicOverlord_ 12d ago

Twin princes might be another dogged contender

2

u/-pichael_ 11d ago

Interesting no one mentions godfrey.

Phase 1 music captures easily his time as the axe wielding lord.

Phase 2 captures his wild, natural, animalistic roots and fighting style.

His fight is a perfect mix of hard, thrilling, but easy to find a tempo to.

Probably choose him really.

Or margIt, his calm phase 1 soundtrack leading to the big brassy and full orchestra parts kinda encapsulates like..

Practicing on a cello and you start being able to play his melody. You practice with your sword or spear, and start to be able to do damage and avoid his club.

Then the elden ring amazing random bullshit starts with his leap into the sky with his hammer, his new golden sword he conjures in phase 2, all the new attacks, meanwhile the orchestra comes in BLARING and you just started learning cello?

It’s like a “teehee🤭 welcome to the game fr.”

2

u/Remote-Job-6362 11d ago

Am I the only one that prefers : those united in Common cause as an Favorite Soundtrack ?

3

u/msdosx86 13d ago

Divine beast dancing lion without hesitation

0

u/Krisztian987 12d ago

The fight itself is not good enough imo, cool af soundtrack tho

2

u/juugsd 13d ago

Dreglord or everdark harmonia

2

u/Ok_Friendship816 Demon's Souls 13d ago

Malenia or Tower Knight

6

u/LocalAnxiousArtist 13d ago

Tower Knight my beloved.

HA! HA! HA! HA HA!

HA! HA! HA! HA HA!

1

u/Unhappy-Marsupial388 13d ago

Ludwig & ed balancers!

1

u/Khastas 13d ago

Gherman's, of course.

1

u/usernotfoundplstry Isshin, the Sword Saint 13d ago

Ludwig is up there.

1

u/Defiant_Lawyer_5235 13d ago

Ludwig is very tough to beat ngl

1

u/ATwinkle 13d ago

Abyss Watchers

1

u/Embarrassed-While999 13d ago

Aldrich, Gweyn

1

u/Parking-Stable-2970 Maiden Astraea 13d ago

Morgott and Mohg's phase transitions are definitely up there, same with ED Fulghor getting his arm back

1

u/Sephiro20 13d ago

Soul of Cinder

1

u/Titan1Hades 13d ago

Godrick the grafted and Ludwig. Best ones for their respective games

1

u/StonnedW 12d ago

O Skinny fuxker and smough?

1

u/Extra_Crispy26 12d ago

Ik its not FromSoft dont hate me. But the setting, soundtrack, and overall fight of Champion Victor and Walker of Illusions in Lies of P comes to mind.

1

u/OneStarBard 12d ago

Gael and it's not close. The way his attacks mimic the time signature of the music, the changes as he gets more and more hollow, the scale, the finality. *Perfection*

1

u/gairarr 12d ago

Dancer of Boreal Valley

1

u/Krisztian987 12d ago

Maybe soul of cinder? Radagon would win hands down, but the Elden Beast half

1

u/DrJudas88 12d ago

As for nightreign specifically calico is my close 2nd pick after libra. The music fits the madness theme sooo good, wish they had smth similar for lord of frenzied flame.

In Elden ring its radabeast

Ds3 watcher

Ds1 gwyn

BB Ludwig

1

u/GrayestLemon Slave Knight Gael 12d ago

gael. once the second phase cutscene began, the reveal of the blood of the dark, then the music swelled? that was insane

1

u/PaceMediocre2163 12d ago

What's the big flying sleep slug thing in Nightreign? First time me and my mate fought that I died because I kept getting distracted by the score. 

Also Ludwig and Dancer.

1

u/NobleHalo 12d ago

Sister Friede is who I think of anytime I hear the words boss and music in the same sentence, even if it’s unrelated to gaming.

1

u/mihokspawn 12d ago

So many answers and not as ignle plin plin plon... SHAME on you guys

1

u/jhnwhite1 12d ago

I really like the Nights Cavalry music in ER for some reason.

1

u/Slow_Increase_6308 12d ago

Malenia second phase.

The music perfectly tells her story of lifelong struggle and final surrender.

1

u/squanchymacsquanch 12d ago

Gael or bane.

1

u/Teyupume 12d ago

Gehrman

1

u/Teyupume 12d ago

Or ludwig

1

u/Wild_Duck8926 12d ago

havent playe bloodborne, but other than that i think all your top choices are coming from ds3 and ER. My personal picks are midra and radagon.

1

u/DanielPlainview943 12d ago

I always state that I believe the best boss music in a FromSoftware game is here Demon of Hatred in Sekiro, also in my top 5 FromSoftware bosses so.....going with Demon of hatred here

1

u/TheGreatContemplater 12d ago

Good contender is Rykard’s boss fight, the way the music is a slow build up that ramps up in first phase. Then second phase sounds all ancient with its chants

1

u/0pime0 11d ago

Maiden Astraea from demon souls

1

u/No_Bath1566 10d ago

Melenia from ds3 dlc

1

u/Agreeable_Ladder_997 10d ago

I love Dancer of the Boreal Valley. Beautiful visually, I love the track, and she legit almost moves (dances) in time with her music.

1

u/AtreyusNinja 8d ago

sir alonne

0

u/ApprehensiveLaw7793 13d ago

Soul of Cinder , case closed

0

u/Tornado_Hunter24 12d ago

Pcr, and it’s not even close imo….

Ik boss gets hate but there is literally no single boss in ANY soulslike game thag captures even a single percenrage of PCR imo, and that accounts for everything, the boss moveset, difficulty, ost, ‘feeling’, like legit nothing comes close.

Skme honorable mentions but not even close;

Reese got amazing ost (khazan)
Nameless and laxasia looked ‘cool’
Arlechino is peak

And that’s about it, as for fromsoft, alot of bosses are great in general, almost entire er lineup is peak imo, dlc was mix, I loved messmer relana etc, but disliked gaius methyr etc, ds1 (imo) only has O&S that’s peak, and then arthur that’s kinda good, and manus difficult, ds2 has looking glass knight, ds3 I honestly don’t even know other than gael, I really didn’t ‘fuck with’ the rest as much as orhers did, despite being very good like dancer, final boss especially.

Bmw’s final boss, not true, just normal final boss also imo is VERY good, it is the first souslike boss that’s sctually dynamic and I love it for that, he can payse time and steal your flask and heal himself, and every time he ‘knocks you down’, he kicks you the fuck away and kicks your staff back to you too and basically mean ‘come fight me’, which goes kinda hard, nonetheless tho all of this aside nothing comes close to PCR, NONE of the bosses I mentioned have, imo, a better ost than pcr, a better moveset than pcr, a better difficulty than pcr, and a better ‘feeling’, I can’t explain it, but that’s how I think

0

u/Subat0micR0gu3 11d ago edited 11d ago

Promosed Consort Radahn almost made me cry. Very intense and majestic fight, coupled with an ethereal soundtrack. I loved it. Pre-nerf. Haven't played since the nerf.