For years, fans have speculated thatall of FromSoftware’s games — at least, the Soulslikes — are connected. The bad ending fromDemon’s Soulsshrouds the world in fog, paving the way forDark Souls, which diverges into both the Painted World ofBloodborneand the unrecognizable new cycle inElden Ring. It’s always been a fun little headcanon, butNightreignfinally gives it some weight.
Seemingly setafterElden Ring, with the Erdtree a distant memory,it brings back several Dark Souls bosseswith strict ties to Lordran, Drangleic, and Lothric. It’s unclear if the new multiplayer spin-off is canon, butfirst-time director Junya Ishizaki described it as being a ‘parallel’ story. So, maybe there’s some narrative weight behind all the familiar faces. At any rate, if you’re wondering about who exactly FromSoftware has brought back in its roguelitecornucopiaof greatest hits, we’ve got you covered.
7Duke’s Dear Freja
The Two-Headed Spider Is A Long Way From Home
We found out that the Duke’s Dear Freja was returning way back whenNightreign was first revealed, and they behave almost exactly the same as they did in Dark Souls 2. You can lop their heads off, they spawn little spiders, and occasionally they’ll shoot a laser beam - y’know, typical arachnid stuff. What’s different here is that they can be stunned.
As for the implications of them being summoned to Limveld, they’re still referred to as the Duke’s Dear Freja. That’s a direct reference to Tseldora, who founded the mining town in Drangleic of the same name. Does that mean Drangleic exists in the Lands Between’s history? That’s one for the lore hounds to figure out.
6Centipede Demon
A Fish Out Of Lava
One of the more rogue choices for a returning boss, as if Duke’s Dear Freja wasn’t rogue enough, is the Centipede Demon. In the first Dark Souls, you have to kill them to venture deeper into Lost Izalith, as they drop a ring that lets you walk on lava.
If you cut off their tail, it still turns into an enemy in Nightreign.
However, since you fight them on small rock plateaus surrounded by lava,withoutthe ring, they’re a deceptively tricky fight, especially if they refuse to set foot on dry land. But in Nightreign, there is no lava, so they’re much easier to take down.
5Gaping Dragon
The Longest-Living Archdragon
Another returning classic Dark Souls boss is the Gaping Dragon. They fight in two positions, one with their front half raised in the air, the other with it flat on the ground, exposing their weak point: a crocodile-like head.
You can even cut off their tail. However, it doesn’t seem guaranteed to drop a weapon. Most of the time, we found it did nothing but make the fight easier, but there were a couple of instances where rare gear would sprout from its severed limb.
4Smelter Demon
Is That The Iron Keep I See Up There?
The second Dark Souls 2 boss to return is the Smelter Demon. It’s based on the original Iron Keep model, but it appears to use some of the moves from the blue DLC variant.
As withthe original fight, if you get too close, you’ll take gradual fire damage. Thankfully,ranged is a lot more viable in Nightreign, with bows having infinite ammo and locking onto enemies far more easily. That’s not to mention the magic users, such as the Revenant, who can summon spirits. So, you can keep your distance and watch its health whittle away, rather than throwing Lucatiel into the flames.
3Nameless King
Gwyn’s Firstborn Has A Spear To Grind
Perhaps the most lore-heavy inclusion of all the Dark Souls bosses in Elden Ring Nightreign is the Nameless King. He’s Gwyn’s firstborn son, stripped from the annals of history for allying with the dragons, and decreed as the God of War — father of the Warriors of Sunlight. His presence in Nightreign, if canon, implies that Gwyn’s pantheon of gods once ruled before Marika and Radagon. Again, I’ll leave that to the lore hounds.
At any rate, it’s the same fight you died to over and over again in Dark Souls 3, but you sprint faster, have two other players to help out, and far more abilities. So, he’s not nearly as difficult. That being said, he is one of the few bosses to have a true second phase, stepping down from his defeated dragon with another healthbar to whittle away.
2Bonus: Symbol Of Avarice
Mimics Finally Return In Elden Ring, Kind Of
Mimics didn’t make an appearance in Elden Ring,as much as fans wanted to see them in Shadow of the Erdtree, but they do crop up in Nightreign. Sort of. There’s a chance that Libra, one of the Nightlords, will half your health while you’re exploring Limveld. You can remove the effect for 10,000 Runes, after which you get the choice of one free boon.
If you choose Runes, then you’ll get the Symbol of Avarice as a Talisman, which places a phantom Mimic on your head. When equipped, it gives you 20 percent more Runes and plus 60 item discovery, but as you’d expect, it continuously drains HP. It’s not a boss, but it’s a fun little homage to a classic Dark Souls enemy and an iconic piece of gear.
1The Dancer
Spin To Win
FromSoftware picked some of the easiest bosses from the first two Dark Souls games, so of course when it came to Dark Souls 3, it had to pick two of the hardest. Not only do we have the Nameless King to contend with, but also the Dancer.
They’re technically one of the first bosses you can fight in Dark Souls 3 (and even featured as the focus of its closed network test), but they’re challenging enough at higher levels. Thankfully, in Nightreign, you can stun them easier, and your movement speed is much faster, making it less of a challenge to get out of the way of their infamous spin attack.
